The Indian stock market witnessed a sharp decline for the second straight day on April 25, driven by a combination of profit booking and growing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The overall sentiment remained grim, with indices across the board ending deep in the red.

The Sensex tumbled 589 points or 0.74% to close at 79,212.53, while the Nifty 50 plunged 207 points, or 0.86%, settling at 24,039.35. The declines are part of a broader selloff trend, as investors become increasingly cautious ahead of the weekend amid geopolitical developments.

Over the past two sessions, the Sensex has shed 904 points and the Nifty has dropped 290 points, reflecting a decline of over 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively.

Market Capitalisation Takes a Hit

One of the most significant outcomes of the downturn was the loss in market capitalisation. On Friday alone, the BSE-listed companies lost nearly ₹9 lakh crore, as the total market cap dropped from ₹430 lakh crore to ₹421 lakh crore.

This massive erosion in investor wealth clearly signals a nervous market, bracing for more volatility and uncertainty in the near term.

Broader Market Performance

The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices were the worst hit, crashing by 2.44% and 2.56%, respectively. These segments, which had previously outperformed large-cap counterparts, are now facing sharp corrections due to high valuations and fears of earnings downgrades.

Volatility Spikes as Sentiment Weakens

The India VIX, which is a barometer of market volatility, spiked nearly 6% to 17.16, reflecting growing market anxiety. This is indicative of a risk-off approach being adopted by investors, especially ahead of uncertain geopolitical events.

Sectoral Breakdown Shows Red Across the Board

Except for Nifty IT, which edged up by 0.72%, all other major sectoral indices ended lower:

• Nifty Media: down 3.24%

• Nifty Realty: down 2.80%

• Nifty Healthcare: down 2.42%

• Nifty Pharma: down 2.24%

• Nifty Metal: down 2.10%

• Nifty Consumer Durables: down 1.85%

• Nifty Auto: down 1.67%

• Nifty Oil & Gas: down 1.43%

• Nifty Bank: down 0.97%

• Financial Services Index: down 1.02%

• Nifty PSU Bank: down 2.24%

• Private Bank Index: down 1.28%

This widespread decline across sectors reflects a broad-based selloff in the market.

Top Gainers and Losers in Nifty 50

Gainers:

• SBI Life Insurance: up 5.15%

• Tech Mahindra: up 1.02%

• TCS: up 0.95%

• Infosys: up 0.58%

Losers:

• Shriram Finance: down 8.13%

• Adani Enterprises: down 3.95%

• Adani Ports & SEZ: down 3.79%

As many as 41 out of 50 Nifty stocks closed in the red, showcasing the extent of the market pressure.

Stocks With Significant Volume and Price Movements

Most active in volume:

• Vodafone Idea: 187.37 crore shares traded

• YES Bank: 10.93 crore shares traded

• Suzlon: 10.4 crore shares traded

Stocks that gained over 10%:

• Lakshmi Finance & Industrial Corporation: up 20%

• Carraro India: up 15.57%

• Manaksia Steels: up 14.52%

• Butterfly Gandhimathi Appliances: up 10.50%

Stocks that fell over 10%:

• Bhandari Hosiery Exports: down 11.93%

• SRM Contractors: down 11.91%

• PVP Ventures: down 11.08%

• Mindteck (India): down 10.02%

Lower Circuit and 52-Week Milestones

• 146 stocks hit lower circuit on NSE, including Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy, Senco Gold, Sky Gold and Diamonds, and Sangani Hospitals.

• Advance-decline ratio: Only 455 stocks advanced, while 2,428 declined and 64 remained unchanged.

• 52-week highs: 58 stocks like UPL, UltraTech Cement, Dalmia Bharat, and Coromandel International hit fresh highs.

• 52-week lows: 40 stocks including Jai Balaji Industries, Hilton Metal Forging, and Lasa Supergenerics slumped to new lows.

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The Current active IPO are Tankup Engineers.

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