Indian stock markets end lower amid escalating geopolitical tensions

Indian stock markets ended lower on Tuesday, as escalating geopolitical tensions dampened investor sentiment and triggered broad-based selling across sectors.

The Sensex slipped by 155.77 points, or 0.19 per cent, to settle at 80,641.07. Meanwhile, the Nifty dropped more sharply by 81.55 points, or 0.33 per cent, closing at 24,379.60.

Several major stocks weighed on the indices. Eternal (formerly Zomato), State Bank of India (SBI), Tata Motors and NTPC were the top losers on the Sensex, falling between 1.94 per cent and 3.15 per cent.

On the other hand, some stocks managed to buck the trend. Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, and Nestle India were among the ten Sensex gainers, rising by 1.66 per cent.

The selling pressure was even stronger in the broader market. The Nifty Midcap100 index fell by 2.27 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap100 index dropped by 2.50 per cent — reflecting deeper losses beyond the frontline stocks.

Except for Nifty Auto, all sectoral indices on the NSE ended lower, with Nifty PSU Bank taking the biggest hit.

Out of 12 stocks, 11 in the PSU Bank index closed lower, pushing the index down by 1.18 per cent to close the session at 54,271.40.

Major drags included Bank of Baroda, which plunged 10.91 per cent, followed by Union Bank of India and Bank of India, which fell 6.19 per cent and 6.33 per cent, respectively.

The real estate sector also saw heavy losses. The Nifty Realty index declined by 3.58 per cent, led by a 6.36 per cent drop in Godrej Properties and a 4.96 per cent fall in Sobha Limited.

Adding to the nervousness in the market, the India VIX, often referred to as the fear index, rose by 3.58 per cent to 19 points — indicating increased market volatility.

The decline suggests investor caution across sectors, with profit booking and global cues possibly weighing on sentiment, market experts noted.

(With inputs from IANS)