Stock Market Today Highlights: The Indian stock markets ended significantly lower. The Sensex dropped by 0.95% to finish at 81,537, while the Nifty 50 decreased by 0.95%, closing at 25,048. India VIX jumped to 14.38, signalling elevated market volatility.
This represented a stark reversal from the previous day’s gains, with widespread selling pressure across all sectors. Investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the Union Budget 2026, amid escalating domestic and global uncertainties.
The primary catalyst for the market decline was news concerning the Adani Group.
The domestic benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex began slightly up on Friday, following the trend of Asian markets as concerns over geopolitical tensions regarding Greenland subsided, although ongoing foreign selling and mixed earnings reports maintained a cautious outlook.
The Nifty 50 climbed 0.22% to 25,344.6, while the Sensex increased by 0.03% to 82,335.94 as of 9:15 IST.
In the sectoral front, losses were primarily driven by real estate, media, and public sector banks. The broader market also showed weakness, with midcap and smallcap indices declining by as much as 2%. Looking forward, the Union Budget and the flow of foreign investments will be crucial factors influencing market direction, according to experts.
Global Markets
Globally, Asian markets traded higher on Friday, following overnight rally on Wall Street as geopolitical tensions eased, after President Donald Trump rescinded Greenland tariff threats on European allies.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.25%, while the Topix rose 0.27%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.11%, while the Kosdaq gained 0.74%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a higher opening.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 306.78 points, or 0.63%, to 49,384.01, while the S&P 500 rose 37.73 points, or 0.55%, to 6,913.35. The Nasdaq Composite closed 211.20 points, or 0.91%, higher at 23,436.02.
Stay tuned to our Stock Market Today Live Blog for the latest updates.