On Friday, October 31, Indian equity benchmark indices ended 0.6% lower, marking their second straight day of losses. The decline came amid profit booking after the US Federal Reserve cast doubt over a December rate cut, while heavyweight stocks HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank fell following SEBI’s circular on eligibility criteria implementation.
At the close, the Nifty 50 fell 155.75 points, or 0.6%, to settle at 25,722.10, while the Sensex declined 465.75 points, or 0.55%, to end at 83,938.71. On weekly basis, the Nifty 50 slipped 0.28%, ending its four-week winning streak. In October, the index extended its September gains by 4.51%.
On the sectoral front, only one sector closed in positive territory. Heavyweight financial stocks dragged the market lower as the Nifty Financial Services index slipped 0.87%, one of the contributors to benchmark losses.
Metal stocks also extended their decline, with the Nifty Metal index falling 1.09% for the second straight session after hitting a record high on Wednesday.
In contrast, state-owned banks outperformed, with the Nifty PSU Bank index jumping by over 1.5% led by gains in Union Bank of India and Canara Bank following their quarterly results.
Broader markets also declined following benchmark indices, with both Nifty Midcap and Smallcap ended in negative territory.
Among individual stocks,
The Nifty PSU Bank index climbed 1.56%, hitting a fresh new 52-week high. In contrast, the Nifty Media index declined 1.32%.
The key drivers of the index gains were:
On the other hand, these stocks weighed on the index:
The broader market indices closed in negative territory. The Mid-cap 100 index declined by 0.45% and the Small-cap 100 ended down by 0.48%.
As of October 31, 2025, the market breadth was in favour of declining stocks. Out of 3,138 stocks traded on the NSE, 1,266 advanced, 1,806 declined, and 109 remained unchanged.
A total of 73 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while 49 hit their 52-week lows. Additionally, 68 stocks were locked in their upper circuits, whereas 40 stocks were in lower circuits.
Disclaimer: The article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.