Sensex Closes Slightly Lower

India’s BSE Sensex pared some early gains to close about 0.2% down at 75,183 on Thursday, in a session marked by weekly derivatives expiry and lingering uncertainty surrounding US–Iran negotiations. At the same time, investors turned cautious over the possibility of interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank of India amid persistent inflation concerns linked to high crude oil prices. On the data front, a flash PMI survey showed India’s private sector expansion moderated in May but remained robust, as both manufacturing and services lost momentum on softer global demand and Middle East-related pressures. Among equities, IndiGo emerged as one of the top gainers, rising over 3%. BEL, Trent and Adani Ports, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and ITC also provided support, rising up to 1.8%. However, technology stocks remained weak, led by losses in Tech Mahindra (-1.4%), Infosys (-1.3%), while Reliance Industries also fell 0.7%.

The SENSEX Index fell 135 points or 0.18 percent on Thursday to close at 75183 points. Leading the losses are Bajaj Finance (-1.64%), Hindustan Unilever (-1.40%) and Tech Mahindra (-1.32%). Top gainers were Adani Ports (0.98%), UltraTech Cement (0.84%) and Tata Steel (0.79%).

India’s BSE Sensex opened about 0.3% higher at 75,569 on Thursday, following modest gains from the previous session as traders bet on a possible US-Iran deal and an end to the Middle East conflict, which pushed crude oil prices lower. Shipping data also showed that two Chinese oil tankers exited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, a tentative sign of easing pressure in the Gulf. Meanwhile, investors await India’s HSBC composite, manufacturing, and services PMI flash readings for May later in the day, which could provide fresh cues on the strength of economic activity and influence market sentiment. Protean shares surged 20% after the company posted a sharp year-on-year increase in profit and announced a final dividend along with new board appointments, while Sansera jumped 12.5% as its revenue and profit rose strongly from a year earlier, also accompanied by a final dividend and new director appointments. Other top performers included Samaan (+9.8%), Triturbine (+5.9%), and Paras (+6%).