Indian equity benchmarks, the Sensex and Nifty, commenced Thursday’s session on a weaker footing, succumbing to selling pressure in prominent blue-chip banking stocks and reflecting a subdued sentiment across broader Asian markets.
The initial downturn set a cautious tone for the day’s trading.
The 30-share BSE Sensex registered an early dip, falling 106.78 points to 81,223.78 shortly after the opening bell on May 15, 2025. Similarly, the NSE Nifty declined by 38.45 points to 24,628.45.
As the session progressed, the selling pressure intensified slightly, with the BSE benchmark later trading 247.22 points lower at 81,082.80, and the Nifty quoted 67.15 points down at 24,599.75.
Several heavyweight constituents from the Sensex pack contributed to the negative momentum.
Among the major laggards were Power Grid, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Sun Pharma, Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and HDFC Bank.
However, not all stocks were in the red; Tata Motors, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, and UltraTech Cement managed to buck the trend and post gains in the early hours.
Regional ripples and global undercurrents
The weakness in Indian equities mirrored trends observed across other Asian financial centers.
Major indices in the region, including South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, were all reported to be trading lower.
This followed a mixed closing for US markets on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, indicating a degree of uncertainty in global investor sentiment.
Market analysts are interpreting the current price action as a potential sign of consolidation.
“The market appears to be heading for a near-term consolidation phase with the mid and smallcaps outperforming,” V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited, told PTI.
He further suggested that a shift in foreign fund flows might be on the horizon: “The sustained robust FII buying which lifted the largecaps is likely to weaken in the new context of trade deal emerging between US and China.”
Adding to the broader market picture, global oil benchmark Brent crude experienced a notable drop, declining 2.10% to $64.70 a barrel, a factor that often influences sentiment in import-dependent economies like India.
FII activity and previous session recap
Despite the early weakness on Thursday, data from the exchanges indicated that Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net buyers on the preceding day.
FIIs bought equities worth Rs 931.80 crore on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
This inflow had contributed to a positive close for the Indian markets on Wednesday, with the BSE Sensex climbing 182.34 points or 0.22% to settle at 81,330.56, and the Nifty rising by 88.55 points or 0.36% to 24,666.90.
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