Sensex Drops Over 1,000 Points as Metal and IT Stocks Lead Selloff as Nifty Falls 336 Points

Indian equity markets plunged on Friday as a broad-based selloff in metal, IT, and commodity stocks wiped out early gains, mirroring weak global trends.

The BSE Sensex tumbled 1,048.16 points (1.25%) to close at 82,626.76 , hitting an intraday low of 82,534.55 . Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty 50 dropped 336.10 points (1.30%) to settle at 25,471.10 , with a low of 25,444.30 during the session.

Among Sensex constituents, Hindustan Unilever, Eternal, Titan, Tata Steel, Adani Ports, Tata Consultancy Services, PowerGrid, Reliance Industries, Bharat Electronics, Asian Paints, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Bank, and HCL Technologies were major laggards. Bajaj Finance and State Bank of India were the only stocks that ended higher.

According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments , “Domestic equities ended lower following a volatile session, weighed down by weak global cues ahead of the upcoming US inflation data. Sentiment gains from the US-India trade deal have faded, as renewed AI-driven disruption fears weigh on risk appetite. Indian IT firms, dependent on labour arbitrage, may face tougher competition than their Nasdaq peers.”

The decline was broad-based, pulling most sectors into negative territory. Metal stocks faced profit-booking amid a stronger US dollar , while reports of Russia’s return to the US-dollar settlement system heightened expectations of potential sanctions relief, raising concerns over weaker realisations for metal companies.

Global markets also remained under pressure. Asian indices , including Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, Shanghai’s SSE Composite, Japan’s Nikkei 225, and South Korea’s Kospi, closed lower. European markets traded mixed mid-session, while US equities fell up to 2% on Thursday.

Despite the downturn, investor interest remained, with Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) buying equities worth ₹108.42 crore and Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) net buyers of ₹276.85 crore.

In commodities, Brent crude rose 0.32% to USD 67.81 per barrel, reflecting moderate gains in oil markets.

The previous session (Thursday) had also seen losses, with the Sensex down 558.72 points to 83,674.92 and Nifty falling 146.65 points to 25,807.20 . Analysts advise caution as global cues, AI-driven risks in IT, and currency fluctuations continue to influence investor sentiment.