Stock markets decline for fourth day on weak global trends, trade deal uncertainty

Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday (December 18, 2025) amid a muted trend in global markets and uncertainty over a trade deal with the U.S.

Falling for the fourth day, the 30-share BSE Sensex shed 77.84 points or 0.09% to settle at 84,481.81 in a volatile session. During the day, it moved between a high of 84,780.19 and a low of 84,238.43, gyrating 541.76 points.

The 50-share NSE Nifty ended flat, skidding 3 points or 0.01% to 25,815.55. After a muted start, the Nifty attempted a recovery during the first half but failed to sustain higher levels later in the day.

Losses in energy, auto and pharma shares dragged indices down, while gains in IT shares helped trim losses. Select buying in financials and metals also aided recovery in the pre-close session.

Among Sensex firms, Sun Pharma declined the most by 2.74%. Tata Steel fell by 1.26 per cent, Power Grid by 1.15% and Asian Paints by 0.89 per cent. HDFC Bank, L&T, NTPC and Bharti Airtel were also among the laggards.

However, Tata Consultancy Services jumped 1.94%, Tech Mahindra by 1.74% and Infosys by 1.51%. Adani Ports, Axis Bank and HCL Tech were also among the gainers.

Sentiment continued to be influenced by global cues and currency-related concerns, which kept traders cautious, Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Limited, said.

“After three consecutive declines, early gains were supported by value buying and a rupee recovery aided by central bank intervention. However, lingering uncertainty over a potential U.S.-India trade deal dampened sentiment, prompting profit-booking later in the day,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

In the broader equity market, BSE midcap gauge went up by 0.05%, but smallcap index dipped 0.28%.

Among sectoral indices, power declined by 1.01%, followed by oil & gas (0.81%), capital goods (0.80%), utilities (0.75%) and industrials (0.66%).

However, BSE Focused IT jumped 1.24% and Information Technology climbed 1.10%. Services (0.79%), realty (0.33%) and financial services (0.13%) also advanced.

“Indian equity markets staged a smart recovery from the day’s lows despite broad weakness across Asian equities. However, mild selling pressure emerged at higher levels, prompting cautious traders to pare positions ahead of the release of U.S. consumer price inflation data,” Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned buyers on Wednesday (December 17, 2025) as they bought equities worth Rs 1,171.71 crore, according to exchange data. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also bought stocks worth ₹768.94 crore in the previous trade.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed 0.42% to $59.93 per barrel.

On Wednesday (December 17, 2025), the Sensex edged lower by 120.21 points or 0.14% to settle at 84,559.65. The Nifty declined by 41.55 points or 0.16% to 25,818.55.

Published – December 18, 2025 05:08 pm IST