New Delhi, Aug 26 (HS): Indian equities slumped on Tuesday as fears over fresh US tariffs weighed on sentiment, triggering broad-based selling across sectors. Both benchmarks — Sensex and Nifty — ended deep in the red, with investors losing more than ₹3.39 lakh crore in market wealth in a single session.
The sell-off came after US President Donald Trump notified an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, spooking global as well as domestic investors.
The Sensex opened weak at 81,377.39 and slipped as much as 949 points intraday to 80,685.98 before closing at 80,786.54, down 849.37 points (–1.04%). Similarly, the Nifty 50 began at 24,899.50, fell nearly 278 points intraday, and ended the day at 24,712.05, lower by 255.70 points (–1.02%).
Across sectors, the sell-off was brutal. Banking, realty, metals, oil & gas, pharma, IT, and auto indices all closed lower, with Bank Nifty falling to its lowest level since mid-May. FMCG was the lone bright spot, rising 0.59%. The broader market fared worse, with BSE Midcap down 1.34% and Smallcap losing 1.68%.
On the BSE, out of 4,241 actively traded shares, 2,885 declined against 1,219 gainers. At the NSE, 2,157 stocks ended lower while only 610 advanced. Market capitalization of listed firms on the BSE shrank to ₹451.63 lakh crore, down from ₹455.02 lakh crore on Monday.
Among the Sensex constituents, Eicher Motors (+2.68%), Hindustan Unilever (+2.32%), Maruti Suzuki (+1.81%), ITC (+1%), and Nestlé India (+0.80%) emerged as the top gainers. On the flip side, Shriram Finance (–4.21%), Sun Pharma (–3.40%), Tata Steel (–2.88%), Bajaj Finance (–2.73%), and Trent (–2.36%) were the worst hit.
Investor sentiment remained fragile, with repeated recovery attempts unable to offset the selling intensity. Analysts warn volatility is likely to persist so long as the global tariff shock risk remains.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
