The headline equity benchmarks traded with substantial losses in mid-afternoon trade amid weak sentiment due to FII selling, rising crude oil prices, the escalating conflict in the Middle East, and persistent geopolitical uncertainties. The Nifty 50 index slipped below the 23,750 mark. Realty shares extended losses for the second consecutive trading session.
At 14:30 IST the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped 560.67 points or 0.73% to 76,303.04. The Nifty 50 index fell 135.05 points or 0.59% to 23,728.45.
In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.07% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index shed 0.02%.
The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,850 shares rose and 2,273 shares fell. A total of 198 shares were unchanged.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Realty index dropped 0.79% to 725.65. The index fell 2.48% in two consecutive trading session.
SignatureGlobal India (down 3.07%), Sobha (down 1.84%), DLF (down 1.66%), Godrej Properties (down 0.99%), Oberoi Realty (down 0.9%), Brigade Enterprises (down 0.78%), Phoenix Mills (down 0.48%), Prestige Estates Projects (down 0.27%), Anant Raj (down 0.17%) and Lodha Developers (down 0.11%) declined.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper gained 0.48% to 6.666 compared with previous session close of 6.634.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 92.1150 compared with its close of 92.0100 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 2 April 2026 settlement added 0.09% to Rs 1,61,936.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.17% to 99.395
The United States 10-year bond yield rose 0.45% to 4.226.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2026 settlement jumped $5.96 or 6.19 % to $97.67 a barrel.
Stocks in Spotlight:
HDB Financial Services slipped 0.73%. The company said that its board has approved the allotment of 17,500 NCDs of face value of Rs 1 lakh each, aggregating to Rs 175 crore, on private placement basis.
Shelter Pharma shed 0.17%. The company said it has secured an export order from First Vet Veterinary Medicines Trading LLC, UAE, for the supply of veterinary and animal healthcare products.