New Delhi, July 24(HS): The domestic stock market experienced a significant decline on Thursday due to global pressure, foreign investor selling, weak quarterly results from several companies, and rising crude oil prices. Despite a strong start to trading, selling began shortly after the market opened, leading to a downward trend. The Sensex dropped by 0.66 percent and the Nifty by 0.63 percent, reflecting persistent selling pressure, particularly in the IT, real estate, and FMCG sectors. Other indices, including banking, capital goods, and consumer durables, also closed lower. In contrast, buying interest was noted in the metal, healthcare, and automobile sectors.

The broader market saw continuous selling, causing the BSE midcap index to decrease by 0.43 percent, and the smallcap index fell by 0.50 percent. Overall, investors’ wealth shrank by over ₹2 lakh crore, with the market capitalization of BSE-listed companies falling to ₹458.09 lakh crore from ₹460.35 lakh crore the previous day, resulting in an estimated loss of ₹2.26 lakh crore for investors.

Trading was active with 4,221 shares on the BSE: 1,646 gained, while 2,408 declined, and 167 remained unchanged. On the NSE, 2,642 shares were active, with 921 gaining and 1,721 losing. The Sensex opened at 82,779.95 points, initially rising before plunging to 82,047.22 points due to selling, ultimately closing down at 82,184.17 points. The Nifty started at 25,243.30 points, fell to 25,018.70 points during trading, but slightly recovered to end at 25,062.10 points.

Among large-cap stocks, the top gainers were Eternal, Tata Motors, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Grasim Industries, and Cipla, while the top losers included Nestle, Trent Limited, Shriram Finance, Tech Mahindra, and Reliance Industries.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar