Dalal Street Blues: Sensex falls 1,100 points, closes below 79,000 after 10 months MUMBAI: The Indian stock market experienced a significant downturn on Friday as geopolitical tensions in West Asia and global market conditions dragged the Sensex down by nearly 1,100 points. The benchmark index closed below the 79,000 mark for the first time since April 2025, marking a notable decline. Banks were among the worst performers as foreign investors continued to sell shares, according to dealers. The Sensex opened the session weak, dropping around 350 points from Thursday’s close at 80,016, primarily due to an overnight sell-off in U.S. markets. The index remained in the red throughout the session, hitting an intra-day low of 78,812 before closing at 78,919, a decline of 1,097 points or 1.4%. The Nifty 50 on the National Stock Exchange also fell, losing 315 points (1.3%) to close at 24,450. Market volatility spiked sharply, with the India VIX, often referred to as the fear gauge, closing 11% higher. Investors faced a net loss of approximately Rs 3.2 lakh crore, pushing the BSE’s market capitalization to Rs 449.7 lakh crore. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) continued their selling trend, with a net outflow of Rs 6,030 crore on the day. Over the past four sessions, FPIs have withdrawn nearly Rs 21,600 crore, equivalent to about $2.4 billion. Analysts attributed the sell-off to rising oil prices, which could dampen investor sentiment and impact India’s fiscal and inflationary outlook. Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments noted that higher U.S. 10-year bond yields and a stronger dollar have prompted FPIs to adopt a risk-averse stance toward Indian equities. In the commodities segment, crude oil futures on the MCX platform surged sharply, hitting consecutive upper circuit levels.#mumbai #sensex #nifty_50 #foreign_portfolio_investors #geojit_investments
