The Indian market ended lower on Friday, halting a six-day winning run, as investors turned cautious ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks at the Jackson Hole symposium and braced for fresh U.S. tariffs on Indian goods, amid other headwinds weighing on sentiment.
The BSE Sensex fell 693.86 points, or 0.85%, to close at 81,306.85, while the NSE Nifty shed 213.65 points, or 0.85%, to close at 24,870.10.
Here’s how analysts read the market pulse:
The Indian equity market closed in the red today, ending a six-session winning streak and erasing gains accumulated over the past three days, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments, adding that the investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of the U.S. Fed Chair’s speech at the Jackson Hole symposium, which is expected to provide critical insights into the global liquidity outlook and future interest rate trajectory.
“The U.S. using trade tariffs on India as a strategic tool in its stance against Russia has raised near-term concerns among institutional investors. However, strong domestic indicators offer support: the PMI has hit a record high and recently proposed indirect tax reliefs are expected to boost consumption, underscoring India’s economic resilience,” said Nair.
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US markets
Wall Street closed sharply higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing at a record high after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that an interest-rate cut could be on the horizon in his speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium.
The Dow jumped 846.24 points, or 1.9%, to 45,631.74, eclipsing its previous record close set on December 4, 2024. The S&P 500 advanced 96.74 points, or 1.5%, to 6,466.91, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 396.22 points, or 1.9%, to 21,496.54.
European Markets
European stocks ended Friday at their highest level in more than five months, buoyed by signals from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that a U.S. interest-rate cut could come as soon as September.
The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.4%, finishing less than 1% below its all-time high and notching a third straight week of gains. Most major regional indexes also closed in positive territory.
Tech View
The Nifty paused on Friday after a steady run-up, suggesting a brief consolidation before the next leg higher, said Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, adding that the index continues to hold above the 50 EMA, reinforcing the short-term uptrend.
“On the downside, support lies at 24,800; staying above this level keeps the trend intact with scope for an advance towards 25,000–25,250,” said De.
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Most active stocks in terms of turnover
HDFC Bank (Rs 1,952 crore), Netweb Technologies (Rs 1,570 crore), BSE (Rs 1,377 crore), Ola Electric Mobility (Rs 1,297 crore), Vodafone Idea (Rs 1,160 crore), ICICI Bank (Rs 956 crore) and Mahindra & Mahindra (Rs 853 crore) were among the most active stocks on BSE in value terms. Higher activity in a counter in value terms can help identify the counters with highest trading turnovers in the day.
Most active stocks in volume terms
Vodafone Idea (Traded shares: 166 crore), Ola Electric Mobility (Traded shares: 26.82 crore), Sagility India (Traded shares: 10.59 crore), Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (Traded shares: 8.74 crore), Suzlon Energy (Traded shares: 6.74 crore), Zee Entertainment (Traded shares: 4.26 crore) and YES Bank (Traded shares: 3.80 crore) were among the most actively traded stocks in volume terms on NSE.
Stocks showing buying interest
Shares of Netweb Technologies, Vodafone Idea, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, Godawari Power & Ispat, Zee Entertainment, Poly Medicure and Zen Technologies were among the stocks that witnessed strong buying interest from market participants.
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52 Week high
Over 151 stocks hit their 52 week highs today while 53 stocks slipped to their 52-week lows. Among the ones which hit their 52 week highs on the NSE included Paytm, HDFC AMC, among others.
Stocks seeing selling pressure
Stocks which witnessed significant selling pressure were Godfrey Philips, JK Cement, India Cements, Ramco Cements, LT Foods, Hyundai Motor India and Ola Electric Mobility.
Sentiment meter neutral
The market sentiments were neutral. Out of the 4,240 stocks that traded on the BSE on Thursday, 2,322 stocks witnessed declines, 1,757 saw advances, while 161 stocks remained unchanged.
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(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)