Equity benchmarks continued to trade under pressure in afternoon trade on Thursday, with the Sensex down 452.19 points, or 0.53 per cent, at 84,544.94, while the Nifty fell 133.10 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 25,920.80 at 12.45 pm. The indices opened lower and remained in negative territory through the mid-session, reflecting continued caution following the US Federal Reserve’s policy announcement and Chair Jerome Powell’s stance on future rate cuts.
The Sensex opened at 84,750.90 against its previous close of 84,997.13, while the Nifty opened at 25,984.40 compared to its previous close of 26,053.90. Market breadth remained weak, with 2,176 stocks declining against 1,771 advances on the BSE, where 4,152 stocks were traded. A total of 134 stocks hit 52-week highs, while 45 touched 52-week lows. As many as 162 stocks were in the upper circuit and 132 in the lower circuit.
Larsen & Toubro emerged as the top gainer on the Nifty, rising 1.14 per cent to ₹4,003.40, followed by Coal India, which advanced 1.09 per cent to ₹386.15. Maruti Suzuki gained 0.70 per cent to ₹16,251, while UltraTech Cement added 0.47 per cent to ₹12,055. Jio Financial Services edged up 0.36 per cent to ₹310.85.
On the losing side, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories tumbled 3.86 per cent to ₹1,202.60, emerging as the worst performer. HDFC Life declined 2.13 per cent to ₹745.10, and Bharti Airtel fell 1.73 per cent to ₹2,064.30. Max Healthcare shed 1.38 per cent to ₹1,173.10, while Bajaj Finance dropped an equal 1.38 per cent to ₹1,048.25.
Sectoral indices showed mixed performance. The Nifty Bank declined 190.50 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 58,183.20, while Nifty Financial Services fell 146.95 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 27,442.95. The Nifty Next 50 dropped 241.95 points, or 0.34 per cent, to 69,990.15, while the Nifty Midcap 100 index slipped 60.10 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 60,082.85.
Traders said the market remained under pressure as global uncertainties persisted and investors awaited further corporate earnings announcements scheduled for later this week.