The Indian equity benchmark indices ended lower on Thursday, snapping their seventh consecutive day winning streak.
The domestic benchmark indices opened slightly lower on Thursday, due to profit booking after a straight 8.62% rise in the last seven trading sessions. Heavyweight financials and consumer stocks dragged the frontline indices down.
The BSE Sensex closed nearly 315 points lower (0.39%) at 79,801, retreating from the 80,100 level, while the Nifty 50 slipped 82 points (0.34%) to settle at 24,247. The indices traded mostly in the negative as traders turned cautious due to rising tensions with neighbouring Pakistan after the Kashmir attack and booked profits on the eve of the monthly expiry.
Meanwhile, Nifty Bank mirrored the performance of Nifty 50, declining by 0.30%, closing near 55,200.
Hindustan Unilever sheds 4% after missing quarterly profit estimates, while Nestle erases intraday gains after reporting lower March-quarter profit.
Shares of Bharti Airtel dropped 1.94% to ₹1,845.60 after reports emerged that the telecom company has approached the government to convert its spectrum dues into equity. Bharti's spectrum liabilities stood at ₹74,000 crore as of December 2024. Bharti Airtel was among the top losers on the Nifty 50 index.
The Nifty Pharma index jumped over 1.08% in a single day, emerging as the top-gaining sector and hitting a two-month high on Thursday. Natco Pharma, the top gainer on the index, surged as much as 6.81% to ₹902 per share.
At the close, the biggest contributors to Nifty 50’s gains were UltraTech Cement (+5.68 points), Reliance Industries (+4.49 points), and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (+4.10 points). Meanwhile, Hindustan Unilever (-19.4 points), Bharti Airtel (-20.64 points), and ICICI Bank (-36.2 points) pulled the index down.
The broader market indices also ended lower, with the Midcap and Small-cap 100 indices slipping 0.13% and 0.04%, respectively, while 4 out of the 17 major sectoral indices ended in the green.
As of April 24, 2025, the Indian stock market showed a broadly positive market breadth. Out of 2,930 stocks traded on the NSE, 1,404 advanced, 1,441 declined, and 85 stayed unchanged.
A total of 42 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while only 13 hit their 52-week lows. Additionally, 117 stocks were locked in their upper circuits, whereas 13 stocks were in lower circuits.
Disclaimer: The article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.
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