Sensex Today: Indian benchmarks opened lower on Thursday, tracking weakness in Asian peers and extending losses for a fourth consecutive session. Market sentiment is also likely to be influenced by the
weekly expiry of Sensex derivatives contracts today.
As of 9:20, the 30-stock Sensex was at 84,434.8, about 124.77 points or 0.15 per cent lower, while the Nifty50 was at 25,789.75, down 22.15 points or 0.08 per cent.
Sunpharma, TMPV, M&M, NTPC, Maruti Suzuki, Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, and BEL were the top losers, falling as much as 2 per cent. On the flipside, Infosys, HCLTech, TechM, TCS, SBI and ITC were top gainers on Thursday.
Sector-wise, Nifty Auto, Nifty Pharma, and Nifty Realty were the top losers, falling as much as 1 per cent. Meanwhile, Nifty IT and PSU Bank indices were up 0.9 per cent and 0.25 per cent, respectively.
In the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap index was down 0.10 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap index was 0.2 per cent.
Global cues
On the macro front, investors worldwide are awaiting a series of key central bank decisions and economic data. These include the Bank of England’s interest rate decision in the UK, the European Central Bank’s policy announcement for the euro area, and inflation and jobless claims data from the US. In addition, the Bank of Japan has begun its two-day policy meeting, with expectations that it may raise interest rates to 0.75 per cent on Friday.
Equity markets across the Asia-Pacific region were trading lower on Thursday, mirroring weakness on Wall Street. Investor sentiment was dampened as US investors continued to rotate out of technology stocks, while attention also turned to an upcoming address by US President Donald Trump. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.53 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi slipped 1.36 per cent, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.3 per cent.
Overnight, US markets closed in the red. The S&P 500 declined 1.16 per cent, while the Nasdaq Composite saw the sharpest fall, dropping 1.81 per cent, as lingering concerns over the artificial intelligence trade weighed on technology shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also ended lower, down 0.47 per cent.
In commodities, oil prices edged higher on Thursday morning. Brent crude rose 1.29 per cent to $59.68 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 1.64 per cent to trade at $56.86 per barrel.
