New Delhi, 22 April (H.S.):

Domestic equities buckled under mounting pressures from Iran's rebuff of the second-round peace talks in the Middle East and frail global cues, propelling benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty into a pronounced downturn at the session's outset.

The BSE Sensex commenced trading at 79,019.34, shedding 253.99 points, before relentless selling intensified the slide; by 10:15 AM, it had cratered 767.11 points—or 0.97%—to 78,506.22. Similarly, the NSE Nifty opened at 24,470.85, down 105.75 points, and further eroded 200.55 points—or 0.82%—to 24,376.05 amid pervasive bearish momentum.

Sporadic buying attempts faltered against overwhelming sell-offs, reversing Tuesday's gains where Sensex had surged 753.03 points (0.96%) to close at 79,273.33 and Nifty ascended 211.75 points (0.87%) to 24,576.60.

Among Sensex heavyweights, Nestle, Trent (TMPV), Tata Consumer Products, Hindustan Unilever, and Hindalco Industries bucked the trend, advancing 0.96% to 2.26%. Conversely, IT and financial titans bore the brunt: HCL Technologies plunged 8.69%, trailed by Tech Mahindra, Infosys, ICICI Bank, and TCS, each declining 1.28% to steeper losses.

Trading activity encompassed 2,708 stocks, with 1,366 in green and 1,342 in red; Sensex's 30 constituents saw 4 gainers versus 26 decliners, while Nifty's 50 stocks reflected 12 advances against 38 retreats.

The downturn echoes investor jitters over protracted West Asian strife—exacerbated by stalled US-Iran diplomacy—threatening oil supply chains critical to India, alongside FII outflows and surging crude prices that stoke inflation fears and erode risk appetite.

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

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar