The key equity indices traded with deep cuts in mid-afternoon trade weighed down by global risk aversion. Market sentiment remained subdued amid concerns that the U.S. budget bill could significantly increase the national debt, potentially threatening the country's status as a global safe haven. Traders are expected to monitor global bond markets and fiscal developments closely in coming days. The Nifty slipped below the 24,500 level. The market is volatile due to the weekly expiry of the Nifty F&O series today.
Oil & gas shares declined after advancing in the past trading session.
At 14:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex tanked 1061.11 points or 1.30% to 80,535.83. The Nifty 50 index tumbled 328.70 points or 1.32% to 24,482.60.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index declined 0.85% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.28%.
The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,399 shares rose and 2,457 shares fell. A total of 178 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, added 0.17% to 17.58.
Economy:
India's private sector activity witnessed a notable acceleration in May, as indicated by the HSBC Flash India Composite Output Index, which rose to 61.2 from 59.7 in April. The seasonally adjusted index-tracking month-on-month changes in output across both manufacturing and services-signaled a sharp rate of expansion.
This uptick was largely driven by stronger performance in the services sector. Robust inflows of new business, both domestic and international, fueled faster growth in business activity and employment.
Meanwhile, the HSBC Flash India Manufacturing PMI remained largely stable, edging up slightly to 58.3 in May from 58.2 in April. The reading continued to reflect a strong improvement in the overall health of the manufacturing sector.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty oil & gas index fell 1.88% to 11,304.70. The index rose 0.45% in the previous trading session.
Oil & Natural Gas Corpn (down 2.79%), Indraprastha Gas (down 2.61%), Mahanagar Gas (down 2.42%), Oil India (down 2.4%), Gujarat State Petronet (down 1.94%), Reliance Industries (down 1.87%), Aegis Logistics (down 1.47%), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (down 1.35%), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (down 1.33%) and Petronet LNG (down 1.29%) declined.
Numbers to Track:
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 86.050, compared with its close of 85.5900 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 5 June 2025 settlement added 0.43% to Rs 95,870.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.10% to 99.71.
The United States 10-year bond yield declined 0.35% to 4.583.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for July 2025 settlement fell 72 cents or 1.11% to $64.19 a barrel.
Stocks in Spotlight:
VA Tech Wabag jumped 6.07% after the company's net profit surged 37.43% to Rs 99.5 crore on a 23.76% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 1,156.2 crore in Q4 FY25 over Q4 FY24.
Rupa & Company rose 2.12% after the company's net profit rose 26% to Rs 30.6 crore while net sales rose 4% to Rs 415.5 crore in Q4 March 2025 over Q4 March 2024.
Cupid advanced 1.25%. The company reported a 51.47% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 11.51 crore in Q4 FY25 as against Rs 23.72 crore posted in Q4 FY24.