MUMBAI: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of crucial macroeconomic data.
Selling pressure in banking, utility, and financial stocks weighed on the indices, while continued foreign fund outflows and mixed trends in global markets dampened sentiment.
The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 230.05 points or 0.28 per cent to finish at 81,381.36. Earlier in the session, it hit an intraday low of 81,304.15, marking a decline of 307.26 points or 0.37 per cent. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty slipped 34.20 points or 0.14 per cent to close at 24,964.25, after touching a low of 24,920.05 during the day.
Laggards
Key laggards in the Sensex pack included Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Mahindra & Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Power Grid, Axis Bank, and Adani Ports & SEZ. In contrast, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, JSW Steel, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, and Titan were among the gainers.
In global markets, Tokyo and Hong Kong closed higher, while Shanghai and Seoul ended in the red. European markets were trading mixed during mid-session, and US markets closed lower in Thursday’s trade.
Brent Crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.77 per cent to $78.79 per barrel. On the institutional front, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs4,926.61 crore on Thursday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased shares amounting to Rs 3,878.33 crore, as per exchange data. In the previous session on Thursday, the BSE Sensex had gained 144.31 points to settle at 81,611.41, while the NSE Nifty rose 16.50 points to close at 24,998.45
