Sensex Sinks 493 Points, Nifty Slips Below 24,200
What Happened
Indian equities ended lower for a sixth consecutive session, pressured by rising crude oil prices, renewed US-Iran tensions and broad-based selling in IT and realty stocks. The Sensex fell 492.70 points (0.63%) to close at 77,235.46, while the Nifty declined 132.75 points (0.55%) to 24,154.90, slipping below the 24,200 mark. Broader markets were relatively resilient, with the Nifty Midcap index down 0.4% and smallcaps ending flat.
Key Takeaways
Higher oil prices and geopolitical uncertainty continue to weigh on investor sentiment, particularly in rate-sensitive and import-dependent sectors. IT, realty, FMCG and metal stocks led the decline, while auto, media and oil & gas shares offered some support to the market.