The key equity indices witnessed minor losses in afternoon trade, amid limited profit booking, following a sharp rally in the previous session. Investors are awaiting Q4 earnings reports from various companies. The Nifty traded a tad below the 25,000 level. Metal shares declined after rising for two straight sessions.
At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 215.55 points or 0.26% to 82,315.19. The Nifty 50 index fell 66.80 points or 0.26% to 24,997.40.
The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.76% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 1.09%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,508 shares rose and 1,405 shares fell. A total of 164 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, fell 2.35% to 16.50.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Metal index shed 0.15% to 9,196.15. The index gained 4.09% in two consecutive trading sessions.
JSW Steel (down 1.17%), Hindalco Industries (down 0.73%), Lloyds Metals & Energy (down 0.68%), National Aluminium Company (down 0.59%), Vedanta (down 0.47%), Hindustan Copper (down 0.36%), and Welspun Corp (down 0.2%) fell.
On the other hand, Adani Enterprises (up 2.09%), Jindal Stainless (up 1.8%), and Jindal Steel & Power (up 1.6%) edged higher.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 1.44% to 6.320, compared with the previous close of 6.240.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 85.6375, compared with its close of 85.5400 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for the 5 June 2025 settlement shed 0.20% to Rs 92,982.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.12% to 100.69.
The United States 10-year bond yield fell 1.03% to 4.409.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for June 2025 settlement shed 3 cents or 0.05% to $64.50 a barrel.