Bourses remain in red in early afternoon session

Indian markets remained in red in early afternoon session, on account of heavy selling in IT and TECK sectors stocks. Investors were worried with new US H-1B visa rules, which impacting major tech firms. Sentiments were downbeat as labour ministry in its latest data has said that retail inflation for farm and rural workers increased to 1.07 per cent and 1.26 per cent in August 2025 from 0.77 per cent and 1.01 per cent, respectively, in July. Traders overlooked the report that Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has said that a decision of the US President Donald Trump to raise H-1B visa fees to $100,000 per worker is likely to hurt America more than India. It said that Indian IT firms already employ 50-80 per cent locals in the US, about 100,000 Americans in total. It said ‘so the measure won't create many new jobs.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed as People's Bank of China left its benchmark interest rates unchanged for the fourth straight month despite key indicators suggesting economic slowdown. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 82453.45, down by 172.78 points or 0.21% after trading in a range of 82151.07 and 82583.16. There were 13 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in red; the BSE Mid cap index declined 0.20%, while Small cap index was down by 0.18%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Utilities up by 2.29%, Power up by 1.83%, Realty up by 0.97%, Oil & Gas up by 0.75% and Metal was up by 0.57%, while IT down by 2.42%, TECK down by 1.92%, Healthcare down by 0.70%, Telecom down by 0.19% and Consumer Durables was down by 0.13% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Eternal up by 1.56%, Adani Ports up by 1.39%, Ultratech Cement up by 1.21%, Hindustan Unilever up by 0.77% and Bajaj Finance up by 0.70%. On the flip side, Tech Mahindra down by 3.38%, TCS down by 2.68%, Infosys down by 2.53%, HCL Tech down by 1.34% and Bharat Electronics down by 0.72% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, advancing India’s journey toward a digitally empowered, investment-ready, and export-competitive economy, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has launched Logistics Data Bank (LDB) 2.0. LDB 2.0 will provide critical insights into the availability of facilities and infrastructure across the logistics ecosystem. The system will enable real-time tracking and assessment of logistics performance, supporting better planning, higher efficiency, and cost reduction. 

The Minister noted that the initiative will serve as an important tool for both industry and government to strengthen competitiveness, improve supply chain management, and make logistics in India more efficient and business-friendly. Developed by NICDC Logistics Data Services (NLDSL), LDB 2.0 is a significantly enhanced logistics tracking platform that enables export container tracking on high seas along with multi-modal shipment visibility. The platform strengthens India’s digital trade infrastructure, supports MSMEs and exporters, and reflects the government’s commitment to building a transparent, data-driven, and globally competitive logistics ecosystem aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

LDB 2.0 introduces high-seas container tracking, allowing exporters to track containers even after departure from Indian ports across international waters, improving coordination and enhancing credibility in global markets. It also offers multi-modal visibility across road, rail, and sea using container, truck, or trailer numbers, as well as railway FNRs through integration with Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) APIs. A live container heatmap provides location-based views of container distribution across the country, helping stakeholders and policymakers identify imbalances and respond proactively to potential bottlenecks.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25291.15, down by 35.90 points or 0.14% after trading in a range of 25211.60 and 25331.70. There were 24 stocks advancing against 26 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Adani Enterprises up by 3.67%, Bajaj Auto up by 2.39%, Eternal up by 1.55%, Adani Ports up by 1.48% and Hero MotoCorp up by 1.44%. On the flip side, Tech Mahindra down by 3.31%, TCS down by 2.71%, Infosys down by 2.50%, Wipro down by 1.94% and Cipla down by 1.38% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Nikkei 225 surged 487.19 points or 1.07% to 45,533.00, Taiwan Weighted added 302.23 points or 1.17% to 25,880.60, KOSPI increased 23.41 points or 0.67% to 3,468.65 and Shanghai Composite was up by 9.12 points or 0.24% to 3,829.21. On the flip side, Straits Times fell 7.41 points or 0.17% to 4,295.30, Jakarta Composite plunged 33.68 points or 0.42% to 8,017.44 and Hang Seng was down by 192.1 points or 0.72% to 26,353.00.