Equity benchmark indices experienced notable intraday volatility on Monday, influenced by the ongoing Reserve Bank of India (RBI) monetary policy meeting, trade tensions, and global economic indicators, which significantly impacted market movements.
Market analysts have urged investors to keep an eye on sectoral trends and global signals as the markets confront this period of uncertainty. Investor sentiment appeared to be dampened due to tariff policies imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly affecting the pharmaceutical sector.
The BSE Sensex initially rose by over 420 points, starting the day at 80,426.46. However, it subsequently fell by 113.12 points, or 0.14 percent, to reach 80,313.34 by 12:55 PM. The Nifty 50 index also slipped, losing 19 points or 0.08 percent, settling at 24,635.70, close to its intraday low of 24,606.20.
While the midcap index displayed stronger performance, gaining 0.10 percent, the smallcap index declined by 0.17 percent. Most sectoral indices were in the negative territory, with the exceptions of oil and gas, public sector banks, real estate, metals, and information technology, which posted moderate gains. The oil and gas index rose by 1 percent, while sectors such as media, banking, fast-moving consumer goods, consumer durables, and automotive stocks experienced losses.
Top Gainers and Losers
IndusInd Bank, Eternal, Titan Company, Bharat Electronics, and Wipro were among the top gainers in the Nifty 50 during the mid-trading session. Conversely, Axis Bank, Maruti, Adani Enterprises, Tata Consumer Products, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories saw the most significant decline.
A total of 3,017 stocks were traded on the National Stock Exchange at the time of reporting, with 1,235 advancing, 1,682 declining, and 100 remaining unchanged. The market witnessed 67 stocks, including Tata Investment and RBL Bank, reaching their 52-week highs, while 91 stocks, such as Entero Healthcare Solutions, touched their 52-week lows. Additionally, 74 stocks hit the upper circuit limit, while 73 reached the lower circuit limit.
Midcap and Smallcap Movers
Within the midcap segment, stocks such as Petronet, Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Forge, Bandhan Bank, and Hindustan Zinc advanced by 2-4 percent. In contrast, stocks like Dixon Tech, Cochin Shipyard, M&M Financial, Mazagon Dock, ATGL, and Ola Electric saw declines of 3-4 percent.
In the smallcap category, Neuland Lab, Hindustan Copper, Poonawalla Fincorp, IIFL, Afcons, NCC, and NBCC increased by 1.5-3 percent, whereas defense stocks GRSE, Zen Tech, and Data Patterns decreased by 3-4 percent. Kaynes, BEML, and Swan Corp also declined nearly 3 percent.
On the Bombay Stock Exchange, Wockhardt, Sammaan Capital, and Supreme Petrochem surged by 9-10 percent, while Nazara Tech, JSL, Tanla Platforms, Dixon, and GRSE plummeted by 4-6 percent.
As the domestic market waits for the upcoming RBI policy decision, investor attention remains focused on forthcoming developments.