Stock market today: Sensex, Nifty 50 slide for 8th straight session, post longest losing streak in 2 years

Stock Market Today: Indian stocks extended their losing streak to the eighth consecutive trading session on Friday, February 14, as global trade tensions escalated further after U.S. President Donald Trump directed his economic team on Thursday to formulate plans for reciprocal tariffs on every country that imposes taxes on U.S. imports.

Although the imposition of these duties is likely to be delayed, concerns that India could be significantly impacted by reciprocal tariffs have kept investors on edge. Trump had earlier criticised India’s high tariffs on U.S. products.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Trump on Thursday and offered to discuss easing tariffs, increasing purchases of U.S. oil and gas, and negotiating deals for combat aircraft and other concessions. However, this failed to boost market sentiment, as bulls remained on the sidelines, leaving the stocks to slide further.

Investors are worried about the impact of tariffs on the Indian rupee and U.S. interest rates, which analysts believe could lead to more outflows from emerging markets, including India. Overseas investors have already pulled out ₹1.12 lakh crore from Indian exchanges in under two months of 2025.

Although most of the selling by FPIs is being absorbed by domestic mutual funds, selling from HNIs, family offices, AIFs, and retail investors is adding significant pressure on the markets, according to experts.

Longest losing run in 2 years

The Nifty 50 ended today’s session down 0.44% at 22,929, marking its eighth consecutive decline and the longest losing streak in two years. The last time the index fell for eight straight sessions was between February 17-28, 2023.

The Sensex closed 0.70% lower at 75,939. Both indices dropped 2.6% this week, marking the biggest weekly decline of 2025.

The broader markets witnessed even sharper losses, with the Nifty Midcap 100 tumbling 2.41% today, bringing its weekly losses to 7.4%. Meanwhile, the Nifty Smallcap 100 crashed 3.55% in today’s session, pushing its weekly decline to nearly 10%.

Commenting on today’s market performance, Vinod Nair, Head of Research, at Geojit Financial Services, said, “The risk-averse sentiment continues to rule investors’ minds as corporate earnings are significantly lower than the market expectations during the start of the year, especially for mid- and small caps. Muted earnings trend, INR depreciation and with external factors like tariffs are expected to keep the sentiments weak in the near term, which could further push FIIs outflows. Volatility is expected to stay elevated until there is clarity on tariffs and a recovery in corporate earnings.”

All sectoral indices end in red

All 13 major sectoral indices ended Friday’s session lower, with the Nifty Pharma index emerging as the biggest loser, dropping 2.77%. It was followed by Nifty Energy, Nifty Auto, Nifty Metal, and Nifty Realty, all closing in the red with losses of up to 2%.

For the week, Nifty Realty declined by 9.31%, while Nifty Media, Nifty Energy, Nifty Oil & Gas, and Nifty Pharma all dropped between 5% and 9%, respectively. 

“Markets continue to focus on the downside risks, emanating from tariffs imposed by the US on India, uncertain domestic growth and tepid management commentary from the Q3FY25 earnings season,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities. 

Technical Outlook

Hrishikesh Yedve, AVP Technical and Derivatives Research at Asit C. Mehta Investment Interrmediates said, “The Nifty index opened on a positive note but faced selling pressure before a late recovery helped it recoup some losses, eventually settling on a negative note at 22,929. The volatility index, India VIX, cooled off from 15.68 levels but still settled slightly higher by 0.40% at 15.02.”

“Technically, Nifty has formed a triple bottom around 22,780 on the daily scale, indicating strong support. However, the red candle on both daily and weekly charts signals a lack of strength in the upside recovery. The 21-day Simple Moving Average (DSMA) is placed around 23,260, making the 23,260-23,300 zone an immediate hurdle. A decisive move above 23,300 could confirm a near-term bottom reversal pattern,” Hrishikesh Yedve added.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.