Indian equity markets finished the session in negative territory on Thursday as losses across Auto, Real Estate and Consumer Durables pressured benchmark indices. At the close on the National Stock Exchange, the Nifty 50 dropped 3.26% to register a new six-month low. The BSE Sensex 30 mirrored the decline, slipping 3.26%.
On the Nifty 50, the best-performing stock of the day was Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NSE:ONGC), which gained 1.51% or 4.00 points to end at 269.00. By contrast, Coal India Ltd (NSE:COAL) finished down 0.13% or 0.60 points at 454.60, and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (NSE:PGRD) retreated 0.62% or 1.85 points to close at 297.55.
The heaviest declines on the Nifty roster were concentrated in financials and specialty finance. Shriram Finance Ltd. (NSE:SHMF) fell 6.71% or 68.60 points to finish at 953.00. Eternal Ltd (NSE:ETEA) declined 5.38% or 13.04 points to close at 229.50, and HDFC Bank Ltd (NSE:HDBK) lost 5.11% or 43.05 points to end at 800.00.
Turning to the BSE Sensex 30, the session's top listed names did not avoid declines. Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (BO:PGRD) slipped 0.33% to 297.75, Nestle India Ltd (BO:NEST) eased 1.06% to settle at 1,191.55, and Reliance Industries Ltd (BO:RELI) decreased 1.16% to close at 1,392.20.
On the downside, Eternal Ltd (BO:ETEA) was down 5.40% to 229.50 in late trade, HDFC Bank Ltd (BO:HDBK) lost 5.05% to settle at 800.35, and Bajaj Finance Ltd (BO:BJFN) fell 4.91% to 836.50 at the close.
Market breadth on the National Stock Exchange was heavily skewed to the downside, with 2,168 stocks falling, 371 advancing and 32 ending unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,978 stocks declined, 1,008 advanced and 151 were unchanged.
Several large-cap financial names moved to new 52-week lows during the session. Shares of HDFC Bank Ltd (NSE:HDBK) reached a 52-week low after dropping 5.11% or 43.05 points to 800.00 on the NSE; on the BSE, HDFC Bank Ltd (BO:HDBK) fell 5.05% or 42.60 points to 800.35, also marking a 52-week low. Bajaj Finance Ltd (BO:BJFN) similarly touched a 52-week low, losing 4.91% or 43.20 points to close at 836.50.
Volatility measured by the India VIX increased sharply, rising 21.97% to 22.83, indicating a notable uptick in implied volatility for Nifty 50 options.
In commodities, Gold Futures for April delivery dropped 4.28% or 209.54 to $4,686.66 a troy ounce. Oil prices showed mixed movement: Crude oil for May delivery fell 0.17% or 0.16 to $95.30 a barrel, while the May Brent contract rose 6.09% or 6.54 to trade at $113.92 a barrel.
Currency markets saw modest moves against the rupee. USD/INR rose 0.13% to 93.22, and EUR/INR increased 0.37% to 106.93. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.07% at 99.94.
Thursday's session was marked by broad sell-offs across several sectors and notable hits to major financial and finance-related stocks, while select energy names provided limited support. Rising volatility and commodity swings added to the cautious tone at the close.