- Investors suffer a loss of ₹5.40 lakh crore

New Delhi, May 8 (H.S): On Thursday, the domestic stock market saw a decline amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Trading commenced with a small gain, but after initial support, selling pressure quickly pushed both the Sensex and Nifty indices into negative territory. The Sensex at one point experienced a plunge of over 940 points. However, late buying activity helped the market recover partially by the end of the session. Ultimately, the Sensex closed down by 0.51%, while the Nifty dropped by 0.58%.

All sectoral indices, except for IT, ended in the red, with notable declines in automobile, banking, real estate, and media shares. Other sectors such as FMCG, capital goods, consumer durables, public sector enterprises, oil and gas, and tech also reported losses. The broader market faced significant selling pressure, resulting in a 1.90% drop in the BSE mid-cap index and a 1.05% decline in the small-cap index. Consequently, investors lost over ₹5 lakh crore in total wealth, with the market capitalization of BSE-listed companies falling from ₹423.50 lakh crore to ₹418.10 lakh crore.

During trading, 4,032 shares were active on the BSE; 1,350 rose, while 2,547 fell, and 135 remained unchanged. For the NSE, 2,542 shares were traded, with 674 closing positively and 1,868 negatively. Out of the 30 stocks in the Sensex, 7 gained value while 23 lost, and of the 50 in the Nifty, 13 rose and 37 fell.

The BSE Sensex opened at 80,912.34, initially gaining 165.56 points but soon retreated due to selling pressure, ultimately closing at 80,334.81 after a recovery of about 350 points late in the day. The Nifty started at 24,431.50, peaked at 24,447.25, and later dropped to 24,150.20 before closing at 24,273.80.

Notable gainers included HCL Technologies, Axis Bank, and Titan Company, while Shriram Finance, Eternal, and Adani Enterprises were among the top losers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar