Indian bourses continue to trade in red

Indian equity benchmarks continued to trade lower in late afternoon session as traders sought more clues on progress on U.S. - India trade talks after reports indicating U.S.’ trading partners expediting the trade negotiations ahead of President Trumps tariff dead line of August 1. Traders also took a cautious stance amid continued selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs). The FIIs were net sellers on yesterday’s trade, offloading Rs 2,133.69 crore worth of equity. The markets experienced broad base selling with small cap and mid cap stocks taking the most hit, reflected by BSE Mid cap index slumping 1.44% and BSE Small cap index falling 1.79%.

On the global front, Asian equity markets were trading mostly in red ahead of a key week featuring U.S. tariff decisions, big tech earnings and central bank meetings. European equity markets were trading mostly in red as investors awaits for the latest updates on EU-U.S. trade talks ahead of the August 1 deadline and German business morale improving less than expected in July.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 81453.97, down by 730.20 points or 0.89% after trading in a range of 81405.83 and 82069.51. There were 2 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in red; the BSE Mid cap index slumped 1.44%, while Small cap index was down by 1.79%.

The lone gaining sectoral index on the BSE was Healthcare up by 0.15%, while Power down by 2.22%, Utilities down by 2.12%, PSU down by 1.89%, Capital Goods down by 1.83% and Oil & Gas down by 1.81% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The only gainers on the Sensex were Sun Pharmaceutical Industries up by 0.21% and Bharti Airtel up by 0.02%. On the flip side, Bajaj Finance down by 4.68%, Infosys down by 2.48%, Power Grid Corporation down by 2.41%, Bajaj Finserv down by 2.38% and Tech Mahindra down by 2.36% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal has said that India, as a maritime nation, is undergoing a transformative shift backed by strong policy support and growing investment momentum. He said ‘Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are pursuing the vision of a developed India by 2047 Viksit Bharat with the maritime sector playing a pivotal role.’

Minister further said ‘Our ports have significantly improved operational efficiency, with the average turnaround time reduced from 4 days to less than 1 day, outperforming many advanced nations. Container capacity at major ports has grown by over 70%, and cargo volumes through coastal and inland waterways have multiplied.’

Further he said ‘With 100% FDI permitted in shipping under the automatic route, simplified customs clearance and the strategic advantage of GIFT City IFSC, India now offers one of the most attractive investment ecosystems in the maritime domain. Our goal is clear to make India a global maritime hub not just in trade, but also in finance, shipbuilding and green maritime infrastructure.’

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24829.00, down by 233.10 points or 0.93% after trading in a range of 24806.35 and 25010.35. There were 7 stocks advancing against 43 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Cipla up by 3.60%, SBI Life Insurance Company up by 2.24%, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise up by 1.21%, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories up by 1.11% and HDFC Life Insurance up by 0.93%. On the flip side, Bajaj Finance down by 4.74%, Shriram Finance down by 3.61%, Bajaj Finserv down by 2.73%, Bajaj Auto down by 2.71% and Indusind Bank down by 2.62% were the top losers.

Asian markets are trading mostly in red; Hang Seng declined 344.18 points or 1.36% to 25,323.00, Nikkei 225 slipped 359.34 points or 0.87% to 41,467.00, Straits Times fell 14.31 points or 0.33% to 4,258.74, Taiwan Weighted lost 9.35 points or 0.04% to 23,364.38 and Shanghai Composite weakened 12.07 points or 0.34% to 3,593.66, while Jakarta Composite gained 7.27 points or 0.1% to 7,538.17 and KOSPI increased 5.60 points or 0.18% to 3,196.05.

European markets were trading mostly in red; France’s CAC rose 10.52 points or 0.13% to 7,828.80 and Germany’s DAX lost 133.73 points or 0.55% to 24,162.20, while UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 33.58 points or 0.37% to 9,104.79.