Indian stock market benchmarks closed flat on Tuesday, March 25, as a stronger US dollar and ongoing concerns about the impact of US tariffs on the global economy dampened sentiment. The Sensex ended at 78,017.19, up 33 points, or 0.04 percent, while the Nifty 50 rose 10 points, or 0.04 percent, to 23,668.65.
While the benchmarks finished with nominal gains, the mid and small-cap segments fell. The BSE Midcap index dropped 1.13 percent, while the Smallcap index fell 1.63 percent.
BSE-listed firms' market capitalization fell to nearly ₹415 lakh crore from ₹418 lakh crore in the previous session, resulting in a loss of approximately ₹3 lakh crore for investors in a single session.
Today's Stock Market: Five Key Highlights
Here are ten major highlights of the Indian stock market today:
1. What factors weighed on the Indian stock market today?
Market benchmarks closed flat after six straight sessions of robust gains as profit booking in a few heavyweights canceled out the initial gains.
Heavyweights like Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank were the biggest drags on the Sensex, while HDFC Bank and Infosys led the gains.
Sentiment was affected by worries about US tariffs, prudence ahead of fourth-quarter earnings, and the dollar's increase compared to its peers.
"After a six-day recovery rally, the broader market saw some profit taking, particularly in small and mid-cap stocks, where premium valuations remain. Investor sentiment is expected to be cautious in the near term as the US and India work out their trade policy," said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments Limited.
"Attention is shifting towards the quarterly results, which is anticipated to shed light on the recovery in earnings growth," according to Nair.
2. Top Sensex gainers today
Only ten stocks in the 30-share pack finished higher, with UltraTech Cement (up 3.41%), Bajaj Finserv (up 2.71%), and Infosys (up 2.48%) leading the way.
3. Top Sensex laggards today
Zomato (down 5.79%), IndusInd Bank (down 4.76%), and Adani Ports (down 1.44%) were the index's top losers.
4. Sectoral indices today
Most sectoral indices fell on Tuesday, with BSE Consumer Durables, Metal, Oil & Gas, Power, Realty, Consumer Discretionary, Energy, Industrials, Telecommunication, Utilities, and Capital Goods all falling by more than 1%.
However, the IT index increased by more than 1% in response to a recent valuation correction and expectations of softer US tariffs.
"The IT sector posted gains, driven by positive global cues stemming from expectations of softer tariffs and a recent correction in valuations," according to Nair.
5. Increased volume
According to BSE data, Harsha Engineers International, Accelya Solutions, Tarsons Products, Ugro Capital, Graphite India, and Samvardhana Motherson International were among the stocks with a surge in volume on Tuesday.
