Mumbai: Indian stock markets closed with small losses on Tuesday. The Nifty 50 ended the day 33 points lower at 25,170, and the Sensex fell by 58 points to close at 82,102. While most sectors saw mild declines, banking stocks stood out, closing with strong gains.
Bank Nifty Gains, Smallcap Outperforms Midcap
The Nifty Bank index jumped 225 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 55,509, showing strength in the financial sector. On the broader market front, BSE Midcap stocks dropped 133 points (0.29 percent) to finish at 46,367.85, while BSE Smallcap gained 190 points (0.35 percent) and closed at 54,044, indicating mixed investor sentiment.
Overall Market Breadth Weak
In total, out of 3,136 actively traded stocks, only 1,329 advanced, while 1,714 declined, and 93 remained unchanged. Despite the fall in key indices, 107 stocks hit fresh 52-week highs, showing that selected stocks are still seeing strong interest. Meanwhile, 44 stocks touched new 52-week lows.
Top Performers: Banks Lead the Way
IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Nifty 50, rising 2.82 percent, followed by Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, JSW Steel, and Maruti Suzuki. These stocks helped support the Nifty and showed that banking and finance stocks remain in favour with investors.
Top Losers: IT and FMCG Drag
On the losing side, Tech Mahindra led the fall with a 2.16 percent drop. Other major losers included Trent, SBI Life Insurance, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), and Nestle India. Weakness in IT and FMCG sectors weighed down overall market sentiment.
Markets Volatile, Key Levels to Watch: Kotak Securities’ Shrikant Chouhan
Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, said that the benchmark indices experienced a highly volatile trading session on Tuesday. After a roller-coaster ride, the Nifty 50 ended 33 points lower, and the Sensex slipped by 58 points.
Sector Performance: PSU Banks & Metals Gain, FMCG Falls
Among the sectoral indices, PSU Banks and Metal stocks outperformed, each rising by nearly 1 percent. On the other hand, FMCG stocks were the weakest, with the index falling over 1 percent, dragging overall market sentiment.
Technical View: Market Took Support, But Faced Resistance
Technically, the markets saw a sharp intraday selloff in the morning but found strong support near 25,100 (Nifty) and 81,800 (Sensex). While there was a quick rebound from these levels, the indices failed to hold on to gains at higher levels.
Chouhan noted that the overall intraday market structure remains volatile and non-directional. In such a scenario, he advises level-based trading as the most suitable strategy for day traders.
