Stock markets take breather after sharp rally, Sensex tanks 1,282 pts as IT shares retreat
Mumbai, May 13 (PTI): Stock markets tumbled on Tuesday with benchmark Sensex falling by 1,282 points due to profit-taking in IT, auto and private banking shares a day after a record rally.
The 30-share BSE barometer tanked 1,281.68 points or 1.55 per cent to settle at 81,148.22 with 25 of its constituents closing with losses and five with gains. During the day, it fell sharply by 1,386.21 points or 1.68 per cent to 81,043.69.
The broader Nifty of NSE dropped 346.35 points or 1.39 per cent to 24,578.35.
From the Sensex firms, Infosys declined the most by 3.54 per cent. Power Grid dropped 3.4 per cent, Eternal by 3.38 per cent, HCL Tech by 2.94 per cent, Tata Consultancy Services by 2.88 per cent and Bharti Airtel by 2.74 per cent. IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, NTPC, Maruti, Tata Motors, and M&M were also among the laggards.
Sun Pharma, Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance, State Bank of India and Tech Mahindra were the gainers.
Profit-taking was evident across the board, with IT, FMCG, and auto sectors emerging as the top losers, Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd said.
"The domestic market witnessed profit booking today, following yesterday’s sharp rally. The relief-driven surge—fuelled by easing global and domestic risks, including a reduction in trade war tensions and Indo-Pak geopolitical stress—appears to be taking a breather," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
Sensex and Nifty logged their best single-day gains in absolute terms on Monday following buying by retail and foreign investors after India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop military actions and the US and China announced a deal to lower tariffs significantly. The indices raced nearly 4 per cent on Monday on across the board rally.
Broader markets closed with gains on Tuesday with the BSE smallcap gauge jumping 0.99 per cent and midcap index by 0.17 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, BSE Focused IT tanked 2.44 per cent, teck (2.39 per cent), IT (2.21 per cent), utilities (1.35 per cent), power (1 per cent), metal (0.95 per cent) and oil & gas (0.95 per cent).
Healthcare, industrials, capital goods, services and consumer durables were the gainers.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index and Shanghai's SSE Composite index settled in the positive territory while Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended lower. European markets were trading mostly higher.
US markets ended significantly higher on Monday following easing of trade tensions between China and the US. The Nasdaq Composite surged 4.35 per cent, S&P 500 jumped 3.26 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 2.81 per cent.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.32 per cent to USD 65.17 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,246.48 crore on Monday after a day's breather, according to exchange data.
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3 Indians injured after fire breaks out in UAE's Fujairah due to drone attack
Dubai (PTI): Three Indian nationals were injured on Monday after a fire broke out on the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone (FOIZ) in the UAE following a drone strike originating from Iran, according to local media reports.
The relevant authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah confirmed that a fire has broken out in the FOIZ, resulting from a drone attack coming from Iran, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
Fujairah Civil Defence teams immediately responded to the incident and are continuing efforts to bring the fire under control, it added.
Three Indian nationals sustained moderate injuries after the fire broke out on the FOIZ, the Khaleej Times reported, quoting authorities in Fujairah.
The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment, it added.
In a post on X, the UAE's Ministry of Defence said that Iran launched four missiles toward various areas across the country. "Three were successfully engaged over the country's territorial waters, while one fell into the sea," it said.
The ministry urged the public to comply with all public safety procedures when warning messages are issued to the public.
Authorities have urged the public not to circulate rumours and to rely only on official sources for information, Gulf News reported.
