The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) witnessed a significant decline of 200 points as the sell-off in realty and auto shares persisted, marking the fifth consecutive session of losses. The BSE Sensex, a key benchmark index, closed at 73,828.91 points, while the NSE Nifty settled at 22,397.20 points. This downward trend was primarily driven by selling pressure in realty, IT, and auto sectors.

The BSE Sensex initially showed promise by opening higher and reaching a peak of 74,401.11 during the late morning session. However, it failed to sustain these gains as select blue-chip stocks faced continued selling pressure, leading to a low of 73,770.59 points later in the day. The NSE Nifty also experienced a decline, falling by 73.30 points to settle at 22,397.20.

Among the 30 companies listed on the Sensex, prominent laggards included Zomato, Tata Motors, and Infosys, while State Bank of India and ICICI Bank were among the gainers. Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, noted that despite global market challenges, India exhibited resilience and healthy performance amidst a narrow negative trend.

Ajit Mishra, Senior Vice President of Research at Religare Broking Ltd, highlighted that while positive global cues initially boosted the market, selling pressure in heavyweight stocks across various sectors led to a slight dip in the Nifty on the weekly expiry day. Asian markets such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Seoul closed lower, while European markets showed upward trends during mid-session trading. In the United States, markets ended positively the previous day.

The global oil benchmark, Brent Crude, traded lower at $70.71 a barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth ₹1,627.61 crore, whereas Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased equities worth ₹1,510.35 crore on the same day. On the preceding day, the BSE Sensex had fallen by 72.56 points to close at 74,029.76, while the NSE Nifty slipped by 27.40 points to end at 22,470.50.

The fluctuating market conditions and global economic factors continue to influence stock exchanges worldwide, with investors closely monitoring developments in various sectors to make informed decisions.