Key indices end lower for 2nd consecutive session

Indian equity benchmarks ended lower for a second consecutive session on Thursday, as expiry-led volatility and continued uncertainty over a diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East weighed on sentiment. Investors also remained on sidelines ahead of Kevin Warsh's first Jackson Hole speech as Fed Chair on Friday that could provide further clues on the path for U.S interest rates.

Both indices ended the session on negative note with the Sensex dropping 539 points and the Nifty slipping below 24,100 mark, weighed down by losses in Banking, Metal and PSU stocks, even as Capital Goods and Telecom counters offered some support.   

Some of the important factors in trade: 

India-Japan bilateral trade likely to reach $50 billion by 2030: Expressing optimism over India’s trade relations with Japan, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has said that bilateral trade between the two countries is likely to reach $50 billion by 2030, up from $27.47 billion in 2025-26, driven by growing economic complementarities and deeper business engagement.

India Inc's acquisitions double since FY17: The rating agency Crisil has said that the overall acquisitions by India Inc have doubled since FY17. It also highlighted variety of reasons behind corporates opting for acquisition including accelerating growth, expanding market access and acquiring capabilities. 

India emerges as world’s third-largest startup ecosystem: Highlighting India’s emergence as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal has said that nearly 250,000 startups have been established over the past decade. 

India on track to become world’s third largest economy despite global crisis: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India is one of the top five economies of the world and would have become world’s third largest economy within six months or a year if the recent west Asia Crisis had not disrupted its progress. However, he expressed hopes that India would certainly reach that milestone too. 

Global front: European markets were trading mostly in red as lingering geopolitical tension as well as uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve's rate outlook overshadowed upbeat earnings results and guidance from Nvidia. Asian market ended mixed as Chinese industrial profits data disappointed and firmer-than-expected U.S. inflation data kept expectations for a Fed rate hike by year-end live. 

Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 539.35 points or 0.70% to 76,933.59 and the CNX Nifty was down by 116.90 points or 0.48% to 24,090.85.  

The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 77,694.97 and 76,933.59, respectively. There were 6 stocks advancing against 24 stocks declining on the index.   

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Capital Goods up by 0.58%, Telecom up by 0.45%, Healthcare up by 0.39%, Power up by 0.20% and Industrials up by 0.17%, while Bankex down by 1.67%, Metal down by 1.10%, PSU down by 0.87%, Basic Materials down by 0.81% and FMCG down by 0.75% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 1.71%, ICICI Bank up by 0.93%, Tech Mahindra up by 0.80%, Bharat Electronics up by 0.54% and Adani Ports &SEZ up by 0.36%. On the flip side, HDFC Bank down by 2.08%, NTPC down by 2.03%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 1.77%, Bharti Airtel down by 1.42% and HCL Technologies down by 1.37% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, highlighting India’s emergence as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal has said that nearly 250,000 startups have been established over the past decade. Minister highlighted this growth at the India-Japan Startup Roundtable held in Tokyo. According to him, India’s large domestic market, deep STEM talent pool, digital public infrastructure and rapidly expanding innovation ecosystem make it an attractive destination for Japanese technology, investment and innovation partnerships.

Goyal proposed a forward-looking framework for the next phase of India-Japan startup cooperation centred on four pillars: a Japan-India Deep-Tech Capital Corridor to mobilise patient capital for early-stage research, deep-tech innovation and commercialisation; a Two-Way Innovation Bridge connecting universities, incubators, R&D institutions, laboratories and testing facilities in both countries; Manufacturing and Technology Integration, combining India’s scale, engineering talent and entrepreneurial dynamism with Japan’s precision engineering, technology and manufacturing capabilities; and Joint Startup Pitching Platforms to facilitate regular interactions between Indian founders, Japanese corporations, venture funds and strategic investors.

Meanwhile, the Roundtable recognised the highly complementary strengths of India and Japan. India offers scale, talent, digital capabilities and entrepreneurial speed, while Japan brings patient capital, advanced technology, manufacturing excellence and global quality standards. Combining these strengths can help create globally competitive enterprises and technologies capable of serving markets in India, Japan and third countries.

CNX Nifty touched high and low of 24,297.45 and 24,090.85, respectively. There were 18 stocks advancing against 31 stocks declining, while 1 stock remain unchanged on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Adani Enterprises up by 1.83%, Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 1.80%, Adani Ports &SEZ up by 1.33%, Cipla up by 1.23% and Bharat Electronics up by 1.01%. On the flip side, Hindalco Industries down by 2.75%, HDFC Bank down by 2.23%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 2.01%, Shriram Finance down by 1.48% and Grasim Industries down by 1.27% were the top losers. 

European markets were trading mostly in red; UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 61.37 points or 0.56% to 10,816.75 and France’s CAC fell 96.19 points or 1.14% to 8,366.20, while Germany’s DAX gained 49.14 points or 0.19% to 26,335.10.

Asian market ended mixed on Thursday as firmer-than-expected US inflation data slightly lifted expectations for a Fed rate hike by year-end, while investors turned their focus to the Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's first Jackson Hole speech for clues on the US central bank's rate path. South Korea’s Kospi surged, supported by Nvidia’s stronger-than-expected Q2 earnings, which eased global anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence and semiconductor demand. Chinese markets climbed as traders awaited fresh policy support during the ongoing National People's Congress Standing Committee meeting following a slowdown in July industrial profit growth. China's industrial profits increased 17.6% YoY to 4.58 trillion Chinese Yuan in the first seven months of 2026, easing from an 18.7% rise in the January-June period.