Sensex ends in red; Nifty remains flat

Benchmark BSE Sensex closed lower by 53 points in a volatile trade on Tuesday, snapping its four-day winning run due to profit-taking in banking and energy shares.

Photograph: ANI Photo

The 30-share Sensex declined by 53.49 points or 0.06 per cent to settle at 82,391.72 with 14 of its constituents closing lower, 15 with gains and one remaining unchanged.

The index opened higher and climbed further 235.58 points or 0.28 per cent to 82,680.79 in morning trade.

However, the barometer pared gains later due to profit-taking in index major Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank.

It dropped by 204.81 points or 0.24 per cent to hit a low of 82,240.40 during the day.

The 50-share NSE Nifty eked out gains of 1.05 points to end at 25,104.25, marking its fifth straight day of gains.

In the past four days, the Nifty has jumped over 560 points or 2.27 per cent while the Sensex rallied 1,707.7 points or 2.11 per cent.

“Markets traded in a lacklustre manner and ended almost unchanged, taking a breather after the recent surge.

“Participants remain slightly cautious amid mixed global cues, and the divergent trend among index heavyweights continues to weigh on overall sentiment,” Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.

Among Sensex firms, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Maruti, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and Mahindra & Mahindra declined.

Tech Mahindra, Tata Motors, Infosys, HCL Tech, IndusInd Bank and UltraTech Cement were among the gainers.

Investors await the outcome of the US-China trade talks held in London.

Meanwhile, the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) data showed that net inflows into equity mutual funds declined by 21.66 per cent to hit a 12-month low of  Rs 19,013.12 crore in May.

This was the fifth consecutive month of decline in inflow in equity funds. Also, the latest fund infusion by investors marks the 51st consecutive month of net inflows into the segment.

“The Indian equity markets remained muted throughout May 2025, weighed down by a confluence of geopolitical concerns, profit-booking, and market consolidation.

“After a robust performance in the preceding months, elevated stock valuations prompted investors to take a cautious stance, resulting in a noticeable slowdown in equity inflows,” Viraj Gandhi, CEO, SAMCO Mutual Fund, said.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 index settled in the positive territory while Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended marginally lower.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,992.87 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.39 per cent to $67.19 a barrel.