New Delhi, 02 April (H.S.):
The Indian stock market opened on a weak note today, reflecting the global jitters triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance on Iran. The tension‑infused global cues spilled into domestic equities from the very start of trade, with both the Sensex and the Nifty registering heavy losses in the early session.
Weak open and widening losses
The day’s trading began on a weak footing, with selling pressure intensifying after the markets opened. The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty both slipped into the red, and their downside deepened through the first hour. Despite intermittent buying pushes from value‑seeking participants, the market’s underlying trend remained bearish, offering little relief.
By 10 a.m., the Sensex was down 2.04 per cent, while the Nifty had fallen 2.12 per cent. At that time, only two large‑cap names—TCS and HCL Technologies—were trading marginally higher, with gains of roughly 0.25 per cent and 0.18 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, stocks such as InterGlobe Aviation, Sun Pharmaceutical, Adani Ports, Shriram Finance and L&T were trading 3.24 per cent to 4.28 per cent lower, adding to the broad‑based selling pressure.
Breadth of the fall
Across the broader market, 2,711 stocks were actively trading in the early session. Of these, only 398 were in the green, while 2,313 were in the red, highlighting the widespread nature of the sell‑off.
In the Sensex basket, only two of the 30 constituents were in positive territory, supported by short‑lived buying interest, while the remaining 28 were trading lower. Similarly, among the 50 Nifty stocks, only two were in the green and 48 were in the red, underscoring the depth of the correction.
Benchmark indices’ intraday path
The Sensex opened at 72,262.05, down 872.27 points, but the selling pressure quickly mounted. Despite intermittent buying sprees that briefly slowed the slide, the index continued to erode value. By 10 a.m., the Sensex had tumbled 1,492.97 points to 71,641.35, reflecting a sharp intraday fall.
Likewise, the Nifty commenced the session at 22,383.40, after an initial fall of 296 points. The index first slipped further, then briefly recovered to about 22,394.65 in the first 20 minutes as buyers stepped in, but shortly after that, fresh, broad‑based selling resurfaced. By 10 a.m., the Nifty had lost 481.65 points to trade at 22,197.75.
Comparison with previous close
The weakness today stands in contrast to the prior session. On Wednesday, the Sensex had closed 1,186.77 points, or 1.65 per cent, higher at 73,134.32, while the Nifty gained 348 points, or 1.56 per cent, to end at 22,679.40. The sharp reversal underlines how swiftly investor sentiment has turned amid rising geopolitical uncertainty over the West Asia conflict and the U.S.‑Iran‑Israel axis.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
