The key equity benchmarks reversed all gains and traded with minor losses in early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded below the 25,450 mark. Media shares declined after advancing for previous trading session.
At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 181.44 points or 0.22% to 82,094.63. The Nifty 50 index fell 54.05 points or 0.21% to 25,428.45.
The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.01% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index fell 0.18%.
The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,949 shares rose and 1,972 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, slumped 8.05% to 13.01. The Nifty 30 March 2026 futures were trading at 25,608.90, at a premium of 1 points as compared with the spot at 25,428.45.
The Nifty option chain for the 30 March 2026 expiry showed a maximum call OI of 57.7 lakh contracts at the 26,000 strike price. Maximum put OI of 66.1 lakh contracts was seen at 25,000 strike price.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Media index fell 0.78% to 1,406.35. The index added 0.46% in the past trading session.
Prime Focus (down 1.41%), D B Corp (down 1.33%), Tips Music (down 1.19%), Saregama India (down 1.07%) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises (down 1.06%), PVR Inox (down 1%), Network 18 Media & Investments (down 0.44%), Sun TV Network (down 0.34%) fell.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Capacite Infraprojects fell 1.62%. The company said that it has received a letter of intent (LOI) from TenX Realty (on behalf of Raymond) for a total contract value of approximately Rs 537 crore.
Alembic Pharmaceuticals fell 1.15%. The company announced that it has received final approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA), Lamotrigine Orally Disintegrating Tablets USP, 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, and 200 mg.