Sensex Falls Over 1,000 Points Amid Tensions Over Pahalgam Terror Attack

Mumbai:

Indian equity markets are trading in the red as tensions soar between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. Sensex, the 30-share BSE benchmark, has crashed over 1,000 points and is now trading below the 79,000-mark. Nifty, the NSE index of 50 shares, fell below 24,000 points.

The markets went up in early trade, driven by a global rally and fund inflows, but the momentum got lost thereafter, and it gave up the initial gains.

The markets are also upset by unimpressive March quarter earnings by Axis Bank, the third-largest private sector bank of the country. The bank’s shares have fallen 4.65% after reporting a decline in quarterly profit from Rs 7,130 crore in the year-ago period to Rs 7,117 crore.

Besides Axis Bank, major laggards include Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors, and Tech Mahindra. On the gaining side are TCS, Infosys, Reliance, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank.

At least 26 civilians were massacred by terrorists in a tourist hotspot known as ‘Mini Switzerland’, leading to both countries pulling out their diplomatic staff and suspending visas issued to the other nation’s citizens. (Follow live updates here)

The latest flare-up at the Line of Control was speculative firing by Pakistani troops, which is being seen as an attempt to provoke the Indian side. Indian troops retaliated effectively against the firing from multiple Pakistani posts.

As Indian equities braced for the impact, global equities, including the Asian markets, were charting in the positive territory. South Korea’s Kospi index, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and Shanghai SSE Composite were all in green.

Similar trends were seen in US equities, too. Last evening, Nasdaq Composite closed 2.74 per cent higher. S&P 500 jumped over 2 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.23 per cent.