Sensex Breaks 3-Day Winning Streak, Ends 387 Points Lower; Nifty Below 25,350; Paytm Falls 4%

Sensex Today

Sensex Today: Indian stock markets ended the final trading session of the week lower, snapping a three-day winning streak as investors booked profits at higher levels and weakness weighed on key sectors such as IT, FMCG, and private banking.

The BSE Sensex closed at 82,626.23, down 387.73 points or 0.47%, while the Nifty50 settled at 25,327.05, lower by 96.55 points or 0.38%.

Among the Sensex constituents, Adani Ports, SBI, Bharti Airtel, NTPC, and Asian Paints were the top gainers, rising up to 1.13%. The biggest laggards were HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, Trent, Titan Company, and Mahindra & Mahindra, which fell as much as 1.52%.

In the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices ended marginally higher, up 0.04% and 0.15%, respectively. Sectorally, the Nifty PSU Bank index outperformed with a 1.28% gain, while Nifty Metal, Pharma, and Realty also closed in the green. In contrast, FMCG, IT, Auto, and Private Bank indices slipped up to 0.65%.

Investor sentiment was also shaped by stock-specific moves. Paytm shares dropped 4% after recent volatility, while Adani group stocks extended their rally, providing support to the broader market.

The overall market breadth remained positive, with 1,601 stocks advancing, 1,427 declining, and 105 remaining unchanged on the NSE.

As of Friday’s close, the total market capitalisation of NSE-listed companies stood at $5.24 trillion.

Global cues

Asian markets were largely positive on Friday, mirroring overnight gains on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.8%, scaling a fresh record high for the second straight session ahead of the BoJ’s policy announcement. The central bank concludes its two-day meeting today, with a Reuters poll suggesting rates will likely stay steady at 0.5%.

Data showed Japan’s core inflation eased to 2.7% in August, the lowest since November 2024, marking the third consecutive monthly decline. Headline inflation also moderated to 2.7% from 3.1% in July. The Topix index climbed 0.72%, while Australia’s ASX 200 rose 0.74%. However, South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.5%.

On Wall Street, equities rallied as the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled the beginning of a rate-easing cycle. The S&P 500 gained 0.48%, Nasdaq jumped 0.94%, and Dow Jones rose 0.27%. All three benchmarks hit fresh intraday record highs on Thursday after a volatile reaction to the Fed’s rate cut a day earlier.