The benchmark equity indices closed marginally lower on Tuesday as persistent foreign institutional selling and thin year-end trading kept sentiment subdued. The absence of fresh domestic cues and caution ahead of the Q3 earnings season also weighed on the indices. The Nifty slipped below the 25,950 level after hitting an intraday high of 26,976.75 in early trade. Volatility remained elevated due to the monthly derivatives expiry. Consumer durables and IT stocks declined, while metal, PSU bank and auto shares ended higher. The S&P BSE Sensex declined 20.46 points or 0.02% to 84,675.08. The Nifty 50 index lost 3.25 points or 0.01% to 25,938.85. The 50 unit index is down 0.91% in four consecutive sessions. Infosys (down 1.29%), Bajaj Finance (down 0.7%) and Reliance Industries (down 0.3%) were major Nifty drags. The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.05% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.20%. The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1918 shares rose and 2260 shares fell. A total of 181 shares were unchanged. Numbers to Track: The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper shed 0.03% to 6.593 as compared with the previous close of 6.595. In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged higher against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 89.8400 compared with its close of 89.9825 during the previous trading session. MCX Gold futures for 5 February 2026 settlement advanced 1.01% to Rs 136,302. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.05% to 97.96. The United States 10-year bond yield rose 0.05% to 4.119. In the commodities market, Brent crude for February 2025 settlement advanced 34 cents or 0.55% to $62.28 a barrel. Meanwhile, silver pulled back more than 6% after reaching $80 per ounce for the first time ever overnight. This comes as the precious metal has had a massive run-up in 2025, surging almost 150% to become one of the year's hottest trades. Global Markets: European shares advanced while Asian market ended mixed on Tuesday, after the tech sell-down on Wall Street continued on AI bubble fears. Investors will be focused on China's military exercises around Taiwan after the world's second-largest economy announced new drills surrounding the island Monday. Overnight in the U.S., stocks fell on Monday, spurred by losses in technology, after the S&P 500 scaled to record levels last week. The S&P 500 dropped 0.35% and closed at 6,905.74, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.50% and settled at 23,474.35. The Dow Jones Industrial Average pulled back by 249.04 points, or 0.51%, and ended at 48,461.93. New Listing: Shares of Gujarat Kidney and Super Speciality ended at Rs 104.65 on the BSE, a discount of 8.20% as compared with the issue price of Rs 114. The stock debuted at Rs 120.75, marking a premium of 5.92% to the issue price. The stock has hit a high of 123.25 and a low of 103. On the BSE, 21.14 lakh shares of the company were traded in the counter. Stocks in Spotlight: The Nifty Metal index jumped 2.03% to 11,007.65. The index declined 0.16% in the previous trading session. Hindustan Copper rose 8.93%, while Steel Authority of India gained 5.38%. National Aluminium Company climbed 5.35% and Jindal Stainless advanced 4.11%. NMDC added 3.20%, followed by Jindal Steel & Power, which rose 3.05%. Vedanta moved up 2.18% and Hindalco Industries gained 2.12%. Tata Steel advanced 1.96%, JSW Steel rose 1.59% and Hindustan Zinc edged up 1.18%. Adani Enterprises added 0.57%, while APL Apollo Tubes ended marginally higher, up 0.07%. Orient Technologies hit the upper circuit of 20% after the company's shareholders approved a bonus issue of equity shares in the ratio of 1:10. Eligible shareholders will receive 10 equity shares for every one share held. Bharat Electronics (BEL) rose 0.04%. The company said that it has received additional orders worth Rs 569 crore since December 12. These orders include radars, tank overhauls, communication equipment, fire control systems, simulators, antenna stabilisation systems, security software, components, upgrades, and spares. Prime Focus advanced 2.07% after the company announced that its indirect subsidiary, Brahma AI Holdings (Brahma), has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary, Brahma AI ME, on 29 December 2025 in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, UAE. NTPC Green Energy slipped 1.39%. The company said that its wholly owned subsidiary, NTPC Renewable Energy, has declared commercial operations of an additional 13.98 MW solar power capacity at the Khavda-I Solar PV Project in Gujarat. Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals (GNFC) declined 1.73% after the company announced that managing director (MD) T Natarajan will resign effective 29 December 2025, following an order from the Government of Gujarat. Waaree Energies fell 0.12%. The company's whole time director (WTD) & chief executive officer (CEO), Amit Paithankar, resigned to pursue opportunities outside the organisation. Lemon Tree Hotels rose 0.87%. The company announced the execution of a Hotel Operation Agreement (HOA) for an upcoming property in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Niraj Cement Structurals advanced 1.22% after the company has secured a Rs 34.86-crore contract from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for building linkway foot overbridges (FOBs) at the Metro Line-7 Goregaon (East) station. Lupin rose 0.07%. The company said that it has entered into an exclusive License, Supply, and Distribution Agreement with China-based Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals for a novel fortnightly GLP-1 receptor agonist, Bofanglutide. Bofanglutide injection is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and for weight management in overweight or obese individuals. Powered by Capital Market - Live News |