Stock Market Today: Sensex, Nifty Settles In Red As Inventors Await RBI MPC Outcome

The Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower on Thursday as investors remained cautious ahead of key corporate earnings reports and the Reserve Bank of India’s important rate decision on Friday. Trent, Bharti Airtel, and ITC weighed on the Nifty, keeping the index under pressure.

At the time of market closing, the Sensex dropped 213 points or 0.3 per cent to settle at 78,058, while the Nifty declined by 92 points or 0.4 per cent to finish at 23,603. Of the shares traded, 1,871 advanced, 1,907 declined, and 124 remained unchanged.

All eyes are now on RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra’s first monetary policy review, which could shape the market’s next significant move. With the government already implementing a tax cut in the Union Budget to boost consumption, the RBI’s stance on rate cuts will be a crucial indicator for future growth.

Border Market

The broader markets ended mixed, with the BSE Midcap index falling nearly 1 per cent, while the BSE Smallcap index closed flat. 

Sectorial Update

Apart from Nifty Pharma, Nifty IT, and Nifty Private Bank, which gained between 0.3-0.6 per cent, the remaining nine sectoral indices remained flat or ended lower.

Trent, Bharat Electronics, Titan, Bharti Airtel, and NTPC led the declines, falling between 2-8 per cent, while Cipla, Adani Ports, HDFC Life, Infosys, and Tech Mahindra posted modest gains of 1-2 per cent.

Trent’s shares plunged 8 per cent after the Tata Group company revealed a store portfolio optimisation plan alongside its December quarter results. The strategy focuses on upgrading or consolidating smaller stores into newer outlets in high-potential micro-markets. However, the company has not disclosed the capital expenditure required for the revamp.

Among individual stocks, Voltas declined by over 3 per cent following a legal setback in Qatar, where a court ordered the company to pay QAR 167.72 million (approximately Rs 402 crore) in a case related to its joint venture with OHL International, Spain, and Contrack (Cyprus).

Swiggy shares plunged more than 5 per cent after posting a wider third-quarter loss, while Sula Vineyards slipped 4 per cent following a 35 per cent decline in its December-quarter profit, impacted by slowing urban consumption.