The SENSEX Index Closes 1.17% Lower

India’s BSE Sensex edged down about 0.4% to 72,970 on Friday, extending losses for a fourth consecutive session as surging crude oil prices and escalating geopolitical tensions continued to weigh on sentiment. Brent crude climbed to $113.50 a barrel amid heightened Middle East tensions and concerns over potential supply disruptions following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Elevated oil prices pose risks to India’s import bill, inflation outlook, and corporate margins, keeping investors wary. Meanwhile, gains in technology stocks, following an overseas rebound after a sell-off in AI-linked shares, provided limited support. Most sectors opened in negative territory, with technology the only sector posting gains. Shares of Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech, and Wipro rose between 1.6% and 3.1%. Among notable laggards included State Bank of India (-0.6%), Cupid (-4.2%), Tech Mahindra (-0.9%), and BSE (-1.2%). For the week to date, the benchmark is on track for a 2.4% decline.

India’s BSE Sensex closed about 0.6% down at 73,249 on Thursday, the lowest in over a week, extending losses for the third session. Investor sentiment remained subdued amid concerns that persistently high crude oil prices could widen India’s import bill, fuel inflation and squeeze corporate margins. Meanwhile, RBI policymakers signalled further rate hikes may be needed but cautioned against aggressive tightening amid growth risks. Tempering market's mood, foreign investors turned net buyers and purchased equities worth bought 10.22 billion rupees on Wednesday, while Jio Platforms’ $3.2 billion IPO was fully subscribed within hours. Reliance Industries was the biggest laggard, falling 2.6%, amid profit-booking following a solid advance the day before. Eternal slipped 2.2% as it reported strong revenue growth and a sharp improvement in operating profitability in Q2 FY27, but its net profit fell short of analyst expectations. HDFC Bank (-1.9%) and Power Grid (-1.9%) also posted declines.

The SENSEX Index decreased 460 points or 0.62 percent on Thursday to close at 73249 points. The decline was led by Nestle India (-3.16%), Tata Motors (-2.30%) and Tech Mahindra (-1.89%). On the upside, the strongest performers were Bajaj Finance (1.59%), ICICI Bank (0.79%) and UltraTech Cement (0.64%).