Sensex ends lower for third straight day, down 232 pts; ITC, HUL weigh

The NSE Nifty50 ended 82 points lower at 19,543; broader indices too finished with significant losses. Private banks, however, bucked the trend on Friday.

Stock market highlights: Equity market languished in the negative zone on Friday mirroring the weak sentiment globally after the 10-year US Treasury bond yields hit the 5 per cent threshold. A fresh spike in Brent Crude Oil prices above $93-level also weighed on the sentiment.

The S&P BSE Sensex touched a low of 65,309, and thereafter exhibited lacklustre movement throughout the day with buying seen private banking shares, while selling in FMCG and metal stocks. The Sensex finally ended 232 points lower at 65,398. In the process, the BSE benchmark has shed 1,031 points in the last three straight trading sessions.

The NSE Nifty 50 hit a low of 19,519, and eventually settled with a loss of 82 points at 19,543.

Among the Senesex 30 stocks, FMCG heavyweights ITC and Hindustan Unilever tanked 3 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively, a day after reporting Q2 results. Tata Steel too was down 2 per cent.

SBI, Power Grid, Axis Bank, JSW Steel, Larsen & Toubro and Mahindra & Mahindra were the other prominent losers. On the flip side, Kotak Bank gained nearly 2 per cent. IndusInd Bank, TCS and NTPC also finished notably higher.

In the broader market, the BSE MidCap index shed a per cent, while the SmallCap declined 0.8 per cent.

4:03 PM

Comment: Markets heading towards a consolidation trajectory

The added uncertainty stemming from West Asia tensions and the imperative for continued monetary tightening emphasized by the US Fed Chair created a layer of volatility in the market.

Heightened oil prices and elevated US bond yields will also impact the domestic monetary environment and operational metrics of the companies.

Furthermore, the varied results of blue-chip companies, influenced by subdued global & domestic demand, are steering the market towards a consolidation trajectory in the near term.

Views by Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

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