The SENSEX Index Closes 0.11% Lower

India’s BSE Sensex rose about 1.2% to 74,697 at the open on Friday, rebounding from losses in the previous session and reaching its highest level in two weeks as easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East pushed oil prices lower, boosting investor sentiment. The rally came after oil prices retreated sharply following comments from US President Donald Trump, who said Washington and Tehran could reach a peace agreement as soon as this weekend and could reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors offloaded USD 207.52 million worth of domestic equities on Thursday, bringing year-to-date outflows to a record USD 30.6 billion. Early gainers included MTAR (+10.7%), Netweb (+6.3%), HDFC (+1.9%), and Aegis (+2.0%). On the data front, investors await India’s May inflation report due later in the day, with the annual rate expected to accelerate to 4.0% from 3.48% in April.

India’s BSE Sensex finished about 0.2% down at 73,832.6 on Thursday, halting a two-day advance, amid caution due to continued Middle East tensions and concerns over unabated foreign fund outflows. At the same time, weakness in the tech sector persisted, on fears of AI-led disruptions and a prolonged period of high US interest rates. The US and Iran have exchanged strikes across the Middle East for a second consecutive day, with President Trump vowing more attacks if Tehran delays agreeing to a peace deal. In equities, Infosys and HCL Tech led losses, falling 2.7% and 2%, respectively. Other laggards included Adani Ports (-1.9%), Eternal (-1.8%), Bajaj Finance (-1.6%), BEL (-1.5%), Trent (-1.5%) and L&T (-1.5%). On the upside, ICICI Bank, M&M, Kotak Bank and Sun Pharma posted the biggest gains, ranging between 0.7%-1.9%.

The SENSEX Index fell 79 points or 0.11 percent on Thursday to close at 73904 points. Leading the losses are Infosys (-2.25%), HCL Tech (-1.61%) and Adani Ports (-1.60%). Top gainers were Mahindra & Mahindra (1.84%), ICICI Bank (1.69%) and Kotak Mahindra Bank (1.39%).