Sensex Finishes Slightly Lower

India’s BSE Sensex closed about 0.2% down at 77,369 on Monday, halting a two-day winning streak, amid investor caution over the expected US announcement of the details of sweeping new sanctions against Iran. The measures could potentially extend the conflict and exacerbate energy-supply disruptions, putting further upward pressure on inflation. Meanwhile, attention also turned to Nvidia’s upcoming earnings report and the Jackson Hole symposium, where Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh’s speech will be closely watched for clues on the Fed’s interest-rate path. Several sectors came under pressure, led by financials, while strength in metals and technology stocks helped cushion the decline. Among stocks, Adani Ports, BEL, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Trent, Axis Bank and SBI posted the biggest losses, falling between 0.7%-1.3%. On the upside, Tata Steel (1.9%), HCL Tech (1.3%) and Infosys (0.9%) were the top gainers.

The SENSEX Index fell 172 points or 0.22 percent on Monday to close at 77369 points. Leading the losses are Bajaj Finance (-1.47%), Bajaj Finserv (-1.40%) and Tata Motors (-1.37%). Top gainers were Tata Steel (1.26%), HCL Tech (1.19%) and Indusind Bank (1.04%).

India’s BSE Sensex fell about 0.4% to 77,223 on Monday, erasing its morning gains as investors remained cautious ahead of fresh US sanctions on Iran and continued to monitor elevated crude oil prices. Investors were also awaiting comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was due to hold a press conference later on Monday after threatening to impose what he described as the “toughest sanctions in history” on Iran. Among stocks in focus, energy stocks could remain in focus after India’s downstream regulator approved about 1,800 km of LPG pipelines, involving a $731.49 million investment. Meesho could see activity as Y Combinator may sell up to a 1.05% stake in a $100.32 million block deal. Lenskart Solutions could also be in focus as SoftBank may sell up to a 2.6% stake in a $300 million block deal at a 4% discount to Friday’s close. Notable losers included Netweb (-2.6%), State Bank of India (-1.4%), Balrampur Chini Mills (-1.9%), and Reliance (-0.9%).