Sensex, Nifty end lower as investors stay cautious

Both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will remain closed on Friday due to the festival.

The global market sentiment remained uncertain, especially with concerns around US President Donald Trump's tariff policies.

This uncertainty led investors to adopt a cautious approach, resulting in a lacklustre trading session.

At the closing bell, the Sensex had a strong start, reaching a high of 74,401 in early trade. However, selling pressure in auto, IT, and banking stocks led the index to reverse gains.

It touched an intraday low of 73,771 before settling 201 points lower at 73,829. Over the week, the Sensex lost 504 points.

The Nifty also followed a similar pattern. It climbed to 22,558 but later fell to 22,377 before closing at 22,397, down 73 points. The index ended the holiday-shortened week with a loss of 156 points.

Among major stocks, Tata Motors and IndusInd Bank were the worst performers, both losing nearly 2 per cent.

Other laggards included Zomato, Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, and Bajaj Finance. On the other hand, gains were minimal, with SBI, ICICI Bank, and NTPC rising slightly, though none gained more than 1 per cent.

The broader market also ended in the negative territory. The BSE MidCap index declined by 0.8 per cent, while the SmallCap index fell by 0.6 per cent.

Market breadth remained negative, with nearly 60 per cent of stocks on the BSE ending in losses. Out of 4,105 stocks traded, 2,449 declined.

Among sectors, real estate stocks faced the biggest losses. The BSE Realty index dropped 1.8 per cent, with companies like Godrej Properties, Oberoi Realty, Lodha, Brigade Enterprises, and Phoenix slipping over 2 per cent.

"Domestic economic data played a key role in shaping market sentiment today," Sundar Kewat of Ashika Institutional Equity said.

He added that the retail inflation eased more than expected, falling below the RBI's target range for the first time in six months, fueling optimism about potential interest rate cuts.