The Indian stock market witnessed a downward trend in early trading, with key indices struggling to stay afloat. On the Nifty 50, major laggards included Shriram Finance, Bharti Airtel, Grasim Industries, Hero Motocorp, and Hindalco, pulling the index lower. In contrast, stocks like Cipla, ITC, Tata Motors, and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) emerged as the top gainers, providing some support to the broader market.
Sectoral performance reflected widespread weakness, with most indices trading in the red. Notable declines were observed in the auto, banking, energy, metal, and oil & gas sectors, all shedding approximately 1% each. However, the media and realty indices bucked the trend, managing to hold onto marginal gains.
In the broader market, both the BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap indices witnessed modest losses, reflecting subdued investor sentiment across the board.
