The domestic equity indices traded with minor losses in early trade as investors remained cautious ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) crucial monetary policy decision due later today.
The Nifty traded below the 25,600 level. Barring private bank shares, all other sectoral indices on the NSE traded in the red.
At 09:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tanked 123.88 points or 0.14% to 83,213.84. The Nifty 50 index fell 65.40 points or 0.26% to 25,577.40.
The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.69% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index tanked 0.93%.
The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,128 shares rose and 1,821 shares fell. A total of 179 shares were unchanged.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 2,150.51 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,129.82 crore in the Indian equity market on 05 February 2026, provisional data showed.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Bharti Airtel rose 0.13%. The company reported a 55.14% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 6,630.5 crore, despite a 19.62% jump in revenue from operations to Rs 53,981.6 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q3 FY25.
Berger Paints fell 1.72% after it has reported 8.1% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 271.16 crore despite 0.3% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 2983.97 crore in Q3 December 2025 over Q3 December 2024.
FSN E-Commerce (Nykaa) added 3.82% after its consolidated net profit surged 142.4% to Rs 63.31 crore on 26.7% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 2973.26 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q3 FY25.
RBI MPC:
The Reserve Bank's rate-setting panel had started its three-day meeting for the next bi-monthly monetary policy on Wednesday. The decision of RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra-headed six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will be announced today.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper shed 0.66% to 6.651 compared with previous session close of 6.651.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged higher against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 90.1800 compared with its close of 90.3400 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 2 April 2026 settlement declined 1.0.4% to Rs 150,341.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.11% to 97.86.
The United States 10-year bond yield shed 0.67% to 4.180.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for April 2026 settlement rose 19 cents or 0.28% to $67.74 a barrel.
Global Markets:
Asian market edged lower as South Korea led the losses on Friday, following the tech-driven sell off on Wall Street.
South Korea’s market, which is heavily weighted in favor of companies in the chip and automotive industries, have seen sharp swings in the past week as sentiment over tech stocks sours.
Pharmaceutical stocks in Japan also slumped on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his website offering discounted prescription medicines.
On the commodities front, spot silver prices continued their decline, falling 1.63% after crashing about 13% on Thursday.
Overnight in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1.20%, while the S&P 500 lost 1.23%, pushing it into negative territory for the year. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite posted the biggest decline, dropping 1.59%.
Tech giant Alphabet came under pressure after reporting fourth-quarter results and flagging a sharp rise in artificial intelligence spending, with capital expenditure totaling $185 billion for 2026.
Qualcomm slid more than 8% after posting a weaker forecast because of a global memory shortage.