Delhi, 22 September (H.S.): The domestic stock market started the week on a grim note, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty slipping lower on Monday, dragged down by heavy selling in information technology (IT) stocks and wider sectoral weakness.
The Sensex retreated 466.26 points, or 0.56 percent, closing at 82,159.97, while the Nifty declined 124.70 points, or 0.49 percent, settling at 25,202.35. Both indices opened lower and struggled to recover as the day progressed, with some early buying interest giving way to persistent selling, especially after 2 p.m.
This late-session rout saw the Sensex plummet over 628 points in just half an hour, briefly below 82,000, before a modest rebound trimmed losses by the close.Selling pressure was most acute in the IT sector—major players such as Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, and Wipro were among the top losers, shedding between 2.13 and 3.11 percent.
The downturn was not limited to tech: defensive sectors like pharmaceuticals and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), along with realty, banking, automobiles, capital goods, consumer durables, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and the tech index, also closed in negative territory.
The broader market echoed the bearish sentiment, with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices falling 0.78 percent and 0.71 percent, respectively. Across the BSE, 4,455 stocks traded actively—1,778 advanced, 2,507 declined, and 170 ended unchanged.
On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 2,817 stocks traded, with 1,080 advancing and 1,737 declining.The total market capitalization of companies listed on the BSE fell from ₹466.32 lakh crore last Friday to ₹465.08 lakh crore (provisional), wiping off nearly ₹1.24 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session.
Major Gainers and Losers
Amid the gloom, oil & gas, metals, and energy stocks bucked the trend, attracting buying interest through the day. Adani Enterprises (up 4.18 percent), Eicher Motors (up 1.57 percent), Bajaj Finance (up 1.42 percent), Adani Ports (up 1.15 percent), and UltraTech Cement (up 1.14 percent) emerged as the session’s top gainers on the Sensex.
On the flip side, Tech Mahindra (down 3.11 percent), TCS (down 3.01 percent), Infosys (down 2.64 percent), Cipla (down 2.13 percent), and Wipro (down 2.17 percent) led the decliners.
Session Recap: The Sensex opened 545.16 points lower at 82,151.07, briefly rebounding by over 500 points in early trade before succumbing to sustained selling pressure.
Likewise, the Nifty started at 25,238.10, down 88.95 points, nudged into the green for a brief period, then steadily lost ground, dropping 176 points at its lowest before a late rally pared losses.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
