New Delhi, 04 March (H.S.):

India's domestic stock markets closed sharply lower for the third consecutive session amid escalating West Asia tensions, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ending 1.40% and 1.55% down respectively after volatile trading.

Markets opened under pressure and showed limited recovery by noon, buoyed briefly by afternoon buying that lifted indices from intraday lows. However, renewed selling in the final half-hour reversed gains, capping Sensex at 79,116.19 (down 1,122.66 points) and Nifty at 24,480.50 (down 385.20 points).

Broad-based declines hit infrastructure, PSU banks, realty, media, oil & gas, auto, metals, IT, capital goods, consumer durables, FMCG, healthcare, and PSE indices, while only BSE's Tech index rose 0.48%; Nifty Midcap and Smallcap fell 2.16% and 1.55%.

The rout erased over ₹10.10 lakh crore in investor wealth, reducing BSE-listed firms' market capitalization to ₹446.80 lakh crore from ₹456.90 lakh crore on Monday. Trading saw 4,433 BSE stocks active (1,052 up, 3,237 down) and 2,964 on NSE (525 up, 2,439 down), with 27 of 30 Sensex stocks and 46 of 50 Nifty stocks declining.Sensex opened at 78,528.82 (down 1,710 points), hit a low of 78,443.20, recovered to 79,527.41, then closed lower.

Nifty mirrored the pattern, opening at 24,388.80 (down 477 points), dipping to 24,305.40, peaking near 24,602.45, and settling at 24,480.50.

Top gainers included Coal India (+2.09%), Bharti Airtel (+1.75%), Infosys (+1.44%), and Tech Mahindra (+0.43%); losers were Tata Steel (-6.77%), TMPV (-5.23%), SBI Life (-5%), L&T (-4.53%), and JSW Steel (-4.28%).

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar