Market Wrap: Market Ends Flat After a Strong Weekly Rally
About 2878 stocks were advancing as against 1020 stocks that were declining, thus indicating a positive sentiment in the broader market.
Market Update at 4:00 PM: The markets ended Friday’s session on a flat note after a rangebound day, but the broader indices posted their highest weekly gains of 2025. The Sensex closed 8 points or 0.01 per cent lower at 74,333, while the Nifty closed 8 points or 0.03 per cent higher to 22,553. The Nifty Bank lost 130 points to settle at 48,498.
Gains in heavyweight Reliance Industries balanced out losses in IT stocks, as market sentiment remained cautious due to concerns over US tariffs and shifting trade policies impacting global financial markets.
Broader indices closed mixed note where Nifty Mid-cap declined by 0.32 per cent, while Nifty Small-cap zoomed by 0.67 per cent.
Market volatility, as indicated by India VIX, has decreased by 1.86 per cent, reflecting a decrease in market volatility compared to yesterday’s trading session.
Nifty Oil & Gas, Nifty Metal and Nifty Media were among the top gainers, while Nifty Realty, Nifty Consumer Durables and Nifty IT closed in negative territory.
Reliance Industries, Tata Motors and BEL were among the top gainers while Indusind Bank, NTPC and Shriram Finance were among the top losing stocks from the Nifty 50.
About 2878 stocks were advancing as against 1020 stocks that were declining, thus indicating a positive sentiment in the broader market.
Market Update at 2:00 PM: India’s benchmark indices, Nifty and Sensex, traded on mixed note as gains in Reliance Industries helped offset losses in IT stocks. By 2:00 p.m., the Nifty was down by 7 points or 0.03 per cent at 22,540, while the Sensex jumped by 50 points or 0.1 per cent at 74,390.
In global markets, Asian indices faced pressure amid uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy. Investor sentiment weakened after President Donald Trump announced a suspension of 25 per cent tariffs on most goods from Canada and Mexico until April 2, adding to concerns over trade negotiations.
On the sectoral front, IT stocks declined by 1.09 per cent, weighing on market sentiment. Meanwhile, broader market indices showed mixed trends, with small-cap stocks rising 0.65 per cent while mid-caps declined by 0.5 per cent.
Nifty had gained 2 per cent in the last two sessions, following a 4 per cent decline over the previous ten sessions its longest losing streak on record. However, with ongoing uncertainty over U.S. tariffs, it remains too early to confirm a bottom formation for Indian benchmark indices.
Reliance Industries, Nestle India and Bajaj Auto are among the top gainers while Indusind Bank, NTPC and Shriram Finance are among the top losing stocks from the Nifty 50.
About 1778 stocks are advancing as against 1020 stocks that are declining, thus indicating a slight positive sentiment in the broader market.
Market Update at 12:20 PM: Indian shares edged lower in early trade on Friday, weighed down by information technology stocks, as concerns over U.S. tariffs persisted.
By 12:10 p.m., the Nifty 50 was down by 7 points or 0.03 per cent at 22,537, while the Sensex traded flat at 74,360. Market sentiment was impacted by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s evolving stance on tariffs, which analysts believe signals a willingness to negotiate rather than maintain high tariffs. However, uncertainty remains until more clarity emerges on reciprocal tariffs, which could directly affect India.
Investors are closely watching key U.S. labor market data and a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for insights into future interest rate policy. Higher U.S. rates reduce the attractiveness of emerging markets like India for foreign investors.
Among the Nifty index constituents, 19 stocks advanced, while 30 stocks declined. The index remained falt by support of index heavyweight Reliance Industries (+62.17 pts), Bajaj Auto(+3.24 pts), and BEL(+3.2 pts). On the other hand, Infosys (-31.34 pts), ICICI Bank (-9.22 pts), and NTPC (-7.32 pts) weighed down the index.
On the sectoral front, 13 major sectors, eight saw declines. The broader market showed mixed trends, with midcaps trading flat and smallcaps rising 0.5 per cent., led by gains in Nifty Metals and Nifty Oil & Gas. Conversely, Nifty IT index dropped 0.7 per cent, as technology firms derive a significant share of revenue from the U.S.
About 1814 stocks are advancing as against 926 stocks that are declining, thus indicating a positive sentiment in the broader market.
Market Update at 10:00 AM: Indian benchmarks opened little changed on Friday after two sessions of gains, while other Asian stocks fell as U.S. tariff uncertainty continued to weigh on investor sentiment.
At 09:52 AM, Sensex was down 218 points, or 0.29 per cent, at the 74,122 level, while Nifty also dropped by 3 points, 0.01 per cent. On the broader level, Nifty Mid-Cap traded higher by 50 points or 0.10 per cent, while Nifty Small-Cap extended yesterday’s gains, surging by 80 points or 0.52 per cent.
The blue chips rose about 2 per cent each over the last two sessions on hopes of some reprieve in U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico, a drop in oil prices and bargain hunting after a recent fall.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump suspended the 25 per cent tariffs on most goods from Mexico and Canada, marking another twist in a fluctuating trade policy that has whipsawed the global financial markets.
Uncertainty will prevail until clarity emerges on reciprocal tariffs, which will directly impact India.
In Friday’s trade India VIX has dropped to 13.65, down by 1.2 per cent, indicating a slight decrease in market volatility.
Nifty Metal, Nifty Media and Nifty Auto are among the Top Gainers while Nifty IT, Nifty Bank and Nifty FMCG are among the Top Losers.
BEL, Bajaj Auto and HDFC Life are among the top gainers while Indusind Bank, Infosys and NTPC are among the top losing stocks from the Nifty 50.
About 1786 stocks are advancing as against 745 stocks that are declining, thus indicating a positive sentiment in the broader market.
Pre-Market Update at 7:45 AM: The GIFT Nifty suggests a muted start for Indian benchmark indices, showing a loss of 30 points on 7.20 am. GIFT Nifty futures trades at 22,555 points with support of 22,500 level.
The US stock market ended lower on Thursday amid the uncertainty surrounding the US trade policy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 427.51 points, or 0.99 per cent, to 42,579.08, while the S&P 500 dropped 104.11 points, or 1.78 per cent, to 5,738.52. The Nasdaq Composite closed 483.48 points, or 2.61 per cent, lower at 18,069.26.
US President Donald Trump announced that goods from Canada and Mexico, covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA), will be exempted for a month from the 25 per cent tariffs imposed earlier this week. Trump had earlier only mentioned an exemption for Mexico, but later signed an amendment to his order that now covers Canada as well.
The US trade deficit widened to a record high in January due to increased imports ahead of tariffs. The trade gap surged 34.0 per cent to USD 131.4 billion from a revised USD 98.1 billion in December, marking the largest percentage jump since March 2015. Imports rose 10.0 per cent to USD 401.2 billion, while exports increased 1.2 per cent to USD 269.8 billion. Economists had expected the deficit to reach USD 127.4 billion.
Initial jobless claims in the US fell more than expected last week. New filings for state unemployment benefits dropped by 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 221,000 for the week ended March 1. Economists had predicted 235,000 claims.
The European Central Bank cut interest rates as expected, reducing its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 per cent. This marks the sixth rate cut since June, reflecting concerns over slowing inflation and weak economic growth.
In the Asian markets Japan’s Nikkei 225 traded slightly higher by 0.1 per cent, and the Topix dropped 0.98 per cent, while 10-year JGB yields rose to 1.525 per cent, hitting a 16-year high. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.41 per cent, and the Kosdaq lost 0.05 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures signaled a weaker open.
Crude oil prices headed for their largest weekly drop since October. US WTI crude futures fell 0.33 per cent to USD 66.14 per barrel, down 5 per cent for the week, while Brent crude declined 0.17 per cent to USD 69.34.
The Dollar index in futures showed a 0.04 per cent decrease, reaching 104.11, while the value of one dollar dropped to Rs 86.89.
On March 06, 2025, foreign institutional investors (FII) sold shares worth Rs 2,377.32 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DII) bought shares worth Rs 1,617.80 crore.
Stocks that are banned for trading in the F&O segment on March 07, 2025, are Manappuram Finance only.