Stock markets decline for 3rd day on FII selling, weak rupee; Sensex tanks nearly 504 pts
Mumbai (PTI) Stock markets declined on Tuesday, with the benchmark Sensex tumbling nearly 504 points due to selling in blue-chip bank stocks and Reliance Industries, and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Falling for the third straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 503.63 points or 0.59 per cent to settle at 85,138.27. During the day, the benchmark tanked 588.9 points or 0.68 per cent to hit a low of 85,053. The index had scaled a record high level in intra-day trade in the previous session, but closed lower due to profit booking in the second half.
The 50-share NSE Nifty declined by 143.55 points or 0.55 per cent to 26,032.20.
Among Sensex firms, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Bharat Electronics and Larsen & Toubro were the biggest laggards.
However, Asian Paints, Maruti, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finance were among the gainers.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,171.31 crore on Monday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 2,558.93 crore, according to exchange data.
"FII selling has once again gathered pace and in the last three sessions have sold domestic shares worth more than Rs 6,000 crore. Valuations at elevated levels and delay in the announcement of the Indo-US trade deal are causing a lot of anxiety amongst the investors who are looking at fresh positive triggers. The rupee's downward spiral is also adding to investors discomfort," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
The rupee breached the psychological 90-a-dollar level in intraday trade before settling 46 paise down at an all-time low of 89.99 against the US dollar on Tuesday.
The BSE smallcap gauge declined 0.49 per cent and midcap index dipped by 0.14 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, services dropped 1.03 per cent, financial services (0.78 per cent), bankex (0.75 per cent), industrials (0.49 per cent) and utilities (0.40 per cent).
BSE Telecommunication, consumer durables, teck and auto were the winners.
A total of 2,563 stocks declined while 1,586 advanced and 167 remained unchanged on the BSE.
In Asian markets, Shanghai's SSE Composite index settled lower while South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended in positive territory.
The decline was primarily driven by a sharp contraction in the IIP data, weakness in the rupee, and caution ahead of the upcoming US Fed and RBI policy decisions later in the week, Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd said.
Markets in Europe were trading higher. US markets ended lower on Monday.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dipped 0.33 per cent to USD 62.96 per barrel.
On Monday, the Sensex pared early gains and ended 64.77 points or 0.08 per cent lower at 85,641.90. During the day, the benchmark jumped 452.35 points or 0.52 per cent to hit a record intra-day high of 86,159.02.
The Nifty dipped 27.20 points or 0.10 per cent to settle at 26,175.75. During the day, it climbed 122.85 points or 0.46 per cent to hit a lifetime high of 26,325.80.
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Smriti Mandhana named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Star batter Smriti Mandhana, who played a pivotal role in India's historic 2025 Women's World Cup triumph, was named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2025 at a glittering function here on Monday.
Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh won the Emerging Player of the Year award, for her historic FIDE Women's World Cup triumph at just 20.
Preethi Pal was named the Para-Sportswoman of the Year, for winning two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in track and field, while Anjali Bhagwat was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising her pioneering career as India's first woman shooter to reach an Olympic final and her trailblazing success on the world stage.
Mandhana, who is currently touring Australia with the Indian team for multi-format bilateral assignments, said in a video message: "Thank you BBC for giving me the awardfor Best Sportswoman of the Year. 2025 was a special year for women's cricket, especiallytowards the end we had a World Cup and I'm happy I could contribute and help India win matches.".
At 29, the left-handed batter is already among the game's greats, with the second-highest number of centuries in women's One Day Internationals and ranking third in total runsscored among current players worldwide.
Hailing from Sangli city in Maharashtra, the affable Mandhana was inspired by her father and brother, both of whom played cricket at the district level.
In September last year, she made a 50-ball hundred against Australia – the fastest 50 over international ton (men and women) by an Indian in the format, breaking Virat Kohli's record.
The award winners were decided by a distinguished grand jury comprising Leander Paes, Deepa Malik, and Anju Bobby George.
Praising the athletes' achievements CEO of BBC News, Jonathan Munro said: "Congratulations to this year's winners who showcase the very best in sporting excellence. The BBC World Service is committed to bringing such stories of human endeavour and outstanding success to audiences across India and around the world.".
Additionally, the ceremony also celebrated a wide spectrum of talent and impact, recognizing star performers and changemakers for redefining the landscape of Indian sport.
BBC Star Performers of the Year 202.
• Indian Women's Cricket Team: for their historic World Cup victory.
• Ekta Bhyan, Deepthi Jeevanji and Preethi Pal: for their trailblazing performances at the World Para Athletics Championship.
• Indian Women's Cricket Team for the Blind: for their inspiring World Cup victory.
• Indian Women's Kabaddi Team: for their smashing victory in World Cup.
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BBC Changemakers of the Year 202.
• Indian Women's Ice Hockey Team: for breaking barriers in a non-traditional sport.
• Rajbir Kaur: Indian field hockey player and former captain of the women’s national team.
• Savita Punia: Indian field hockey player and current member of the national team.
• Paani Devi: recognised for her impactful contribution to grassroots sport.
