recovered from intraday lows but ended marginally in the red on Monday, as sectoral performance remained mixed amid persistent global and domestic cues.
Market’s rebound from key support levels indicated underlying strength and suggests the broader uptrend could continue in the near term, according to Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments, said, persistent foreign fund outflows and a weak rupee have kept markets in a narrow range, with currency volatility likely to continue until clarity emerges on the India–US trade deal.
Expectations of an earnings recovery in H2FY26, supported by monetary and fiscal growth drivers, are helping stabilise sentiment. Going forward, market momentum is expected to be earnings-led rather than valuation-driven.
Investors are also awaiting key economic indicators, including US CPI inflation and unemployment data, which will shape global liquidity expectations and the interest rate outlook for 2026, Nair added.
Following an intraday fall of 438 points, Sensex settled with a marginal loss of 54.30 points or 0.06 per cent at 85,213.36. Nifty 50 slipped by 19.65 points or 0.08 per cent to 26,027.30 after falling 142 points in today’s trading session.
Smallcap index staged resilience, while midcap index slipped to end in red. Sudeep Shah, Head – Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, said the midcap index formed a thin-bodied candle with a long lower shadow, highlighting buying interest at lower levels.
Smallcap index extended its corrective phase for the third straight session, Shah added.
Bank Nifty shrugged off early weakness and staged a steady recovery.
On the sectoral front, media stocks outperformed with nearly 2 per cent increase. FMCG, consumer durables, chemicals, PSU bank, IT and metal stocks traded with modest gains, while the auto index dipped the most. Pharma and healthcare also slipped. Capital Market index lost the most, shedding 1.35 per cent.
Top gainers & losers of Nifty 50
Shares of , Trent, Hindustan Unilever, HCL Tech and Wipro led the gainers of Nifty 50 pack, while Mahindra & Mahindra, Eicher Motors, ONGC, Bajaj Auto and JSW Steel emerged as major laggards.
Market breadth was broadly balanced, with 4,444 stocks traded on the BSE. Of these, 2,237 stocks advanced, while 2,029 declined and 178 remained unchanged.
A total of 127 stocks touched their 52-week highs, compared with 145 stocks that slipped to 52-week lows. Meanwhile, 12 stocks were locked in the upper circuit, whereas 8 stocks hit the lower circuit, reflecting mixed but steady underlying market participation.
Under the midcap segment, Dixon Tech, UPL, KEI Industries, Supreme Industries and IRB declined 2-3 per cent, while BSE, Aditya Birla Capital, Vodafone Idea, HDFC AMC and KPIT Tech declined 2-3 per cent.
Smallcap stocks NBCC, Aarti Industries, Aditya Birla Real Estate, Neuland Lab soared 3-5.5 per cent, while Cholamandalam Financial Holdings, Tejas Networks, PNB Housing and Zen Technologies depreciated nearly 2 per cent.
On the BSE, Refex, Shakti Pumps, Coffee Day Enterprises, Jai Balaji and Praj Industries zoomed 10-18 per cent. Embassy Developments, PTC Industries, CCL Products and Spicejet fell 3-6 per cent.
Global markets
Asian markets ended lower, while the European markets were trading higher. US markets ended lower on Friday.
On Friday, BSE Sensex ended 449.53 points or 0.53 per cent higher at 85,267.66. NSE Nifty 50 soared 148.40 points or 0.57 per cent to 26,046.95. FIIs offloaded equities worth ₹1,114.22 crore, while DIIs bought stocks worth ₹3,868.94 crore, exchange data show.