The SENSEX Index Closes 0.55% Lower

India’s BSE Sensex erased early gains to close about 0.6% down at 76,153 on Thursday, its lowest since July 24, extending losses for the fourth session. Rising oil prices amid intense strikes between the US and Iran in the Middle East kept investors firmly in risk-off mode. Market sentiment was tempered by a surge in foreign-currency deposits from non-resident Indians, with over $60 billion mobilised in the final 10 days of the RBI’s swap scheme, taking the total to about $136 billion. Titan /-2.2%) and Trent (-1.9%) were the biggest laggards, followed by ITC, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra and Sun Pharmaceuticals, each falling more than 1%. By contrast, Axis Bank (0.9%), Adani Ports (0.8%), Asian Paints (0.5%) and HDFC Bank (0.4%) were the major gainers.

The SENSEX Index fell 417 points or 0.55 percent on Thursday to close at 76153 points. Leading the losses are Tech Mahindra (-1.65%), HCL Tech (-1.37%) and ITC (-1.20%). Top gainers were Indusind Bank (2.17%), Adani Ports (1.57%) and Axis Bank (1.32%).

India’s BSE Sensex rose about 0.4% to 76,889 on Thursday, led by gains in financials and rebounding from the previous session’s losses after the benchmark hit a more than one-month low. Investor sentiment was also supported by a surge in foreign-currency deposits from non-resident Indians, with over $60 billion mobilised in the final 10 days of the RBI’s swap scheme, taking the total to about $136 billion. The inflows bolstered India’s FX reserves and gave the RBI greater room to support the rupee, easing pressure on local assets. However, gains in equities were capped by elevated crude oil prices and renewed tensions in the Middle East. Investors are also watching global interest-rate expectations, including the possibility of a US Federal Reserve rate hike. Financials led the gains, with HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, and Axis Bank rising 1.1%–1.9%. Other notable gainers across sectors included Milky Mist (1.2%), Netweb (4.3%), Anant Raj (7%), and Welspun Corp (3.1%).