The key equity benchmarks traded with modest cuts in the early afternoon trade as investor sentiment was dented by the Trump administration’s new H-1B visa policy, which imposes a one-time $100,000 fee on new applicants. The measure is viewed as a setback for India’s IT sector.
The Nifty traded above the 25,300 level. Media shares advanced after declining in the past two trading sessions.
At 11:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 214.20 points or 0.26% to 82,412.03. The Nifty 50 index lost 38.75 points or 0.15% to 25,288.30.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.24% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index shed 0.19%.
The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,969 shares rose and 2,134 shares fell. A total of 202 shares were unchanged.
Derivatives:
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 0.21% to 10.71. The Nifty 30 September 2025 futures were trading at 25,360.80, at a premium of 72.5 points as compared with the spot at 25,288.30.
The Nifty option chain for the 30 September 2025 expiry showed a maximum call OI of 72.6 lakh contracts at the 26,000 strike price. Maximum put OI of 62.5 lakh contracts was seen at the 25,000 strike price.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Media index rose 0.70% to 1,630.80. The index fell 0.10% in the past two trading sessions.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises (up 4.16%), Network 18 Media & Investments (up 0.65%) rose.
On the other hand, Dish TV India (down 1.82%), Hathway Cable & Datacom (down 0.93%) and PVR Inox (down 0.53%) edged lower.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Sarveshwar Foods added 1.37% after the company announced a significant international order worth Rs 329 million from Monarda Commodities, a Singapore-based trading firm.
Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) gained 5.18% after the company announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL).
PNC Infratech advanced 0.85%. The company received a letter of acceptance from Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDC) for a road construction project worth Rs 495.54 crore.