Benchmark domestic equity indices closed in the red on Friday, weighed down by widespread selling across IT, Metal, and Auto sectors. Investor sentiment remained cautious as the markets digested the final wave of Q4 FY25 corporate earnings, awaited the release of GDP data for the March quarter, and monitored global trade developments, including new tariff measures proposed by US President Donald Trump.
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The BSE Sensex ended the week’s final trading session at 81,451.01, down by 182.01 points or 0.22 per cent. The 30-share index traded within a narrow range, hitting an intraday high of 81,698.21 and a low of 81,286.45.
The broader NSE Nifty50 also declined, closing 82.90 points or 0.33 per cent lower at 24,750.70. The index touched a high of 24,863.95 during the day, with the lowest point at 24,717.40.
Among the top gainers on the Nifty50 were Eternal, State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, which rose between 0.22 per cent and 4.98 per cent. On the downside, Bajaj Auto, Hindalco, Shriram Finance, HCL Technologies, and Tech Mahindra were the biggest losers, falling between 1.69 per cent and 3.10 per cent.
In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap100 slipped 0.06 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap100 edged down 0.03 per cent.
One notable outperformer was the Nifty PSU Bank index, which surged 2.88 per cent, led by strong gains in Bank of Maharashtra and UCO Bank.
Barring the Nifty Media index and select stocks from the Financial Services segment, all other sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the red. The Nifty IT and Nifty Metal indices were the worst performers, each shedding over 1 per cent, followed closely by the Nifty Auto index, which dropped 0.98 per cent.
The overall market breadth was negative, with 1,581 stocks declining, 1,299 advancing, and 75 remaining unchanged out of 2,955 actively traded stocks on the NSE. The total market capitalisation of NSE-listed firms stood at $5.17 trillion.
As investors await the official GDP figures for Q4 FY25 and watch how global trade tensions evolve following the US administration’s proposed 15 per cent tariff plan, market volatility is expected to persist in the short term.
