Post Session: Quick Review

Indian equity benchmarks ended in negative territory on Wednesday, led by selling in IT, Auto, and Realty stocks. Markets made a cautious start and traded around the neutral lines amid ongoing selling pressure from foreign institutional investors. In the late afternoon session, markets added some losses and remained lower throughout the day, as investors stayed cautious amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and tariff-related concerns. Traders also remained cautious ahead of the markets holiday scheduled for January 15, on account of the Maharashtra municipal elections.

Some of the important factors in trade:

Sustained foreign fund outflows: Sentiments remained subdued due to continued foreign fund outflows. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 1,499.81 crore on Tuesday.

Economic growth serves as most robust, sustainable path to financial inclusion: Traders took note of Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran’s statement that economic growth serves as the most robust and sustainable path to financial inclusion for India

India’s WPI inflation turns positive in December 2025: Traders overlooked India's wholesale price index (WPI) inflation turned positive in the month of December 2025. The inflation stood at 0.83% in December, compared with a contraction of 0.32% in the previous month.  

Global front: European markets were trading higher ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the reciprocal tariff imposed by President Donald Trump. Asian equity markets ended mostly in green buoyed by Japanese shares, as investors braced for a snap election in Japan that could lead to more fiscal stimulus.

The BSE Sensex ended at 83382.71, down by 244.98 points or 0.29% after trading in a range of 83185.20 and 83809.98. There were 13 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The broader indices ended in green; the BSE Mid cap index was up by 0.16%, while Small cap index up by 0.25%. (Provisional)

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Metal up by 2.67%, Basic Materials up by 1.59%, PSU up by 1.14%, Telecom up by 0.76% and Power up by 0.67%, while Realty down by 0.98%, IT down by 0.96%, Consumer Durables down by 0.96%, Auto down by 0.62% and FMCG down by 0.53% were the top losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tata Steel up by 3.56%, NTPC up by 3.21%, Axis Bank up by 2.98%, Ultratech Cement up by 1.65% and Eternal up by 1.56%. On the flip side, Asian Paints down by 2.29%, TCS down by 2.13%, Maruti Suzuki down by 1.77%, Sun Pharma down by 1.64% and Hindustan Unilever down by 1.54% were the top losers. (Provisional)

Meanwhile, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has said that passenger vehicle dispatches from companies to dealers raced to the highest ever sales mark in a calendar year in 2025, driven by strong festive-season demand as goods and services tax (GST) reforms led to lower prices. It said overall passenger vehicle wholesales rose 5 per cent year-on-year to 44,89,717 units last year, compared with 42,74,793 units in the 2024 calendar year. Utility vehicle dispatches stood at 29,54,279 units last year, up 7 per cent as compared with 27,49,932 units in 2024. Passenger car wholesales edged up to 13,79,884 units, while van dispatches increased by 1 per cent last year compared with the 2024 calendar year.

The three-wheeler and commercial vehicle segments also recorded their highest-ever dispatches in a calendar year in 2025. Three-wheeler dispatches rose to 7,88,429 units last year, up 8 per cent as compared to 7,28,670 units in 2024. Similarly, commercial vehicle dispatches stood at 10,27,877 units, up 8 per cent against 9,54,051 units in the 2024 calendar year. Two-wheeler sales stood at 2,05,00,639 units last year, up 5 per cent as compared with 1,95,43,093 units in 2024.

SIAM President Shailesh Chandra said 2025 proved to be a landmark year for the Indian auto industry. The year began with a subdued first half, and the industry continued to navigate supply-side challenges. With multiple structural policy reforms, including the income tax relief, successive repo rate cuts and the roll-out of GST 2.0, the foundation for a positive demand environment.  He added that the reduction in GST rates made vehicles more affordable and gave fresh momentum to the sector. Further, he said the industry expects the good growth to continue into 2026, supported by stable macroeconomic conditions, improving affordability, and continued policy support.

The CNX Nifty ended at 25665.60, down by 66.70 points or 0.26% after trading in a range of 25603.95 and 25791.75. There were 22 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gainers on Nifty were Tata Steel up by 3.66%, NTPC up by 3.31%, Axis Bank up by 2.92%, Hindalco up by 2.03% and ONGC up by 1.83%. On the flip side, Asian Paints down by 2.51%, TCS down by 2.31%, Maruti Suzuki down by 1.67%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.63% and Sun Pharma down by 1.62% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading higher; France’s CAC rose 40.6 points or 0.49% to 8,387.80, UK’s FTSE 100 increased 31.5 points or 0.31% to 10,168.85 and Germany’s DAX gained 35.34 points or 0.14% to 25,456.00.

Asian markets settled mostly higher on Wednesday amid investors awaited a possible US Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs, with speculators assigning a 73% chance that the apex court will declare Trump's tariffs illegal. Meanwhile, rate cut expectations by the US Federal Reserve and reports of an imminent snap election in Japan have also helped market rally. Markets shrugged off data that showed US consumer prices rose 2.7% year-on-year in December. Japanese shares hit another record high, while the yen fell to its weakest level in 18 months amid hopes that a bigger majority for Takaichi will help her implement her agenda of more proactive fiscal spending. Hong Kong shares rose after China announced a record trade surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion in 2025. However, Chinese shares declined after authorities lifted the minimum margin requirement for financing stock purchases to 100% from 80%, reinforcing China’s push to curb excessive speculation in capital markets.