New Delhi, September 24 (HS): Domestic equity markets closed lower for the fourth consecutive trading session on Wednesday, eroding investor wealth by more than ₹3.04 lakh crore amid sustained selling pressure across key sectors. Despite intermittent recoveries, both the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty ended in the red, reflecting an overall weak sentiment.
The Sensex settled 386.47 points down, or 0.47 percent lower, at 81,715.63, after swinging between an intraday high of 82,045.47 and a low of 81,607.84. The Nifty closed 112.60 points, or 0.45 percent lower, at 25,056.90, after oscillating between 25,149.85 and 25,027.45 points.
The weakness saw the combined market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies fall from ₹463.59 lakh crore on Tuesday to ₹460.55 lakh crore by the close of trade, translating into a wealth erosion of about ₹3.04 lakh crore.
Heavy selling was seen in realty, energy, automobile, metal, IT, banking, FMCG, pharma, capital goods, oil & gas, and public sector enterprise stocks, dragging down the benchmark indices. On the other hand, FMCG stocks provided some cushion as they witnessed selective buying interest.The broader markets also remained subdued.
The BSE MidCap index fell 0.85 percent, while the SmallCap index declined 0.50 percent, both closing in negative territory under pressure from widespread selling.
Gainers and Losers
Among the 30 Sensex stocks, only 9 advanced while 21 closed lower. Top gainers included Power Grid Corporation (up 1.63%), NTPC (1.34%), Hindustan Unilever (1.08%), Tata Consumer Products (1.03%), and Nestle India (0.87%).
Major laggards were Tata Motors (down 2.62%), Bharat Electronics (2.23%), Wipro (2.02%), IndusInd Bank (1.92%), and Jio Financial Services (1.86%).On the NSE, a total of 2,775 shares traded actively, of which 923 advanced, 1,852 declined, and the remainder showed no change.
On the BSE, 4,320 shares were traded, with 1,604 closing in the green and 2,565 in the red.
Analysts said persistent profit-booking, global market cues, and selling pressure in key indices kept the markets volatile. Despite mid-session recoveries led by buying activity, sustained pressure in the second half ensured that the indices ended near the day’s low.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
