The SENSEX Index Closes 0.31% Lower

India’s BSE Sensex fell about 0.8% to 76,876 on Wednesday, marking a third straight session of losses, as surging crude oil prices and cautious sentiment ahead of key corporate earnings weighed on investor appetite. The decline came after Brent crude climbed to around $92 a barrel, its highest level in five weeks, amid escalating Middle East tensions that raised concerns over potential supply disruptions. Among recent earnings updates, Bandhan Bank shares dropped about 14% despite improved profit and asset quality, while MedPlus Health fell 16.3% after reporting a decline in quarterly profit. Despite the market weakness, foreign portfolio investors remained net buyers, purchasing about 16.5 billion rupees of Indian equities in the previous session, putting July on track to become their first month of net inflows in five months. Domestic institutional investors, meanwhile, were net sellers. Other notable laggards included Gabriel India (-5.7%), SBI Funds (-2.9%), and Cupid (-1.6%).

The SENSEX Index decreased 238 points or 0.31 percent on Tuesday to close at 77470 points. The decline was led by HDFC Bank (-2.08%), Infosys (-1.59%) and Reliance Industries (-1.44%). On the upside, the strongest performers were Indusind Bank (2.53%), Bajaj Finserv (2.11%) and UltraTech Cement (1.45%).

India’s BSE Sensex closed 0.3% lower at 77,470 on Tuesday, following losses in the previous session as investors remained cautious amid rising crude oil prices and renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The benchmark index later edged lower, weighed down by HDFC Bank, the heaviest stock on the benchmarks, which fell another 1.1% after tumbling 5.1% on Monday, its biggest one-day decline in four months. The HDFC Bank extended losses after delaying the renomination process for CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan pending an independent board review before a submission to the Reserve Bank of India. Among individual stocks, MTAR (-5.0%), Rallis (-2.7%), Kalyan Jewellers (-2.0%), and HDFC Bank (-1.1%) declined. On the upside, Karur Vysya (7.4%), Diamond Power (7.3%), Bhansali Engineering (6.9%), Action Construction Equipment (6.8%), and Jaiprakash Power (6.1%) posted strong gains.