Sensex, Nifty

Sensex Today: Benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty50, opened lower for the fifth consecutive session on Wednesday, tracking mixed global cues.

That said, the BSE Sensex opened at 81,574.31, down 141.32 points, while the Nifty50 slipped 22.4 points to start at 25,034.50.

On BSE, Hindustan Unilever, HDFC Bank and NTPC were the top gainers, while Tata Motors, Bajaj Finance and Kotak Mahindra Bank were top laggards.

On NSE, Hindalco, Nestle and Bharti Airtel, while Tata Motors, Bajaj Finance and Maruti were top drags. Broader markets were up marginally.

Nifty MidCap 100 index rose 0.03 per cent, while Nifty SmallCap 100 index was up 0.02 per cent.

Sectorally, Nifty Auto and PSU Bank indices were top drags, down 0.54 per cent and 0.32 per cent respectively.

Nifty FMCG and Pharma were among the top gainers, up 0.45 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively.

VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, said: “Markets have been drifting down in the absence of immediate triggers, though auto stocks remain bullish on expected earnings growth. The significant drag has been sustained FII selling, with Indian equities underperforming global peers—Nifty down 3.6% year-on-year versus gains of 38.6% in Hang Seng and 33.7% in Kospi—driven by India’s high valuations. However, ongoing reforms and a low-interest-rate regime could support growth and eventually attract FIIs back, making this the right time to accumulate high-quality stocks with patience.”