Stock Market Today: Sensex, Nifty Fall For Second Day; Auto, Pharma Stocks Lead Decline

Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex extended their losses for a second consecutive session on April 25, with 12 out of 13 sectoral indices ending in the red. Pharma, metal, and auto stocks were the main drag on the market, while the IT sector stood out as the only gainer, offering some support during the afternoon trade.

Despite a weak start, both the Sensex and Nifty managed to trim some of their earlier losses by around 2:45 pm.

By the close of trading, the Sensex had declined 588.90 points, or 0.74 per cent, to settle at 79,212.53. Meanwhile, the Nifty fell 207.35 points, or 0.86 per cent, to end at 24,039.35. Market breadth remained negative, with 682 stocks advancing, 3,138 declining, and 115 remaining unchanged.

Sectorial Update

Among sectoral indices, Nifty Pharma, PSU Bank, Energy, Oil & Gas, Realty, Infra, and Auto registered losses of 1.5 to 2 per cent. Nifty IT stood out as the only gainer, rising 0.72 per cent, buoyed by strength in TCS, Infosys, Persistent Systems, and Coforge.

Broader Market

In today’s session, broader markets continued to underperform, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 indices each slipping by 2.5 per cent. 

Analysts note that the market is currently balancing a combination of supportive and challenging factors. On the positive side, robust foreign institutional investor (FII) inflows—totaling Rs 29,513 crore over the past week—have helped lift sentiment. This marks a reversal from recent trends favoring US equities amid a stronger dollar. The continued FII interest could help temper bearish sentiment in the near term.

Adding to the optimistic outlook, US Treasury Secretary Scot Bessent recently remarked that India could become the first nation to establish a bilateral trade agreement with the United States. As Washington looks to diversify its trade relationships amid tepid engagement from China, India’s resilient economic performance strengthens its strategic appeal.

However, a major overhang for the markets is the geopolitical uncertainty stemming from India's potential response to the recent terror attack, which could have broader regional implications.

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