Markets deepened losses in afternoon trade on Friday, with both benchmark indices trading below opening levels as consolidation continued for the second consecutive session. The Sensex declined 263.02 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 81,370.00, while the Nifty dropped 91.85 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 24,741.75 at 12:30 PM.
The broader market showed mixed performance with 1,668 stocks advancing against 2,134 declining stocks on the BSE. Trading activity remained robust with 3,977 stocks participating in the session. Market volatility persisted as 87 stocks touched 52-week highs while 36 hit 52-week lows. Circuit breakers were triggered for 179 stocks on the upper side and 226 on the lower side.
Sectoral indices displayed varied performance with Nifty Next 50 declining 235.50 points or 0.35 per cent to 66,858.30. Banking stocks showed resilience with Nifty Bank dropping marginally by 86.30 points or 0.16 per cent to 55,459.75. The financial services index fell 54.05 points or 0.20 per cent to 26,424.40, while the midcap index remained relatively stable, down just 42.70 points or 0.07 per cent at 57,414.55.
CA Eternal emerged as the top gainer among Nifty 50 constituents, surging 3.25 per cent to 235.80 with the highest trading value of 1,39,398.13 lakh rupees. Apollo Hospitals followed with a gain of 0.69 per cent to 6,971.00, while Cipla advanced 0.50 per cent to 1,484.30. Larsen & Toubro climbed 0.49 per cent to 3,673.20, and Bajaj Finserv gained 0.39 per cent to 2,018.70.
On the declining side, Bajaj Auto led losses with a drop of 2.52 per cent to 8,650.50, generating significant trading value of 65,412.50 lakh rupees. Hindalco fell 2.03 per cent to 636.80, while NTPC declined 1.37 per cent to 334.70. Tata Motors and Shriram Finance both dropped 1.36 per cent to 714.60 and 643.35 respectively.
Market participants continued their cautious approach amid tepid earnings growth concerns, with analysts noting that FY25 Nifty earnings rose only 5.5 per cent. The lack of fresh triggers kept investors on the sidelines, though institutional flows remained supportive with foreign and domestic institutional investors maintaining their buying momentum from morning trade. Technical analysts maintained key Nifty support levels at 24,800 and 24,700, with resistance pegged around 25,000.
Published on May 30, 2025
