Closing Bell: Sensex falls 829 points, Nifty slips below 23,650 as Iran-Israel tensions, FII selling weigh on markets

Stock markets ended lower on Thursday, extending the ongoing sell-off amid rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia and persistent foreign investor selling.

The BSE Sensex closed at 76,034.42, down 829.29 points or 1.08 per cent, while the Nifty 50 settled at 23,640.65, lower by 226.20 points or 0.95 per cent.

Market sentiment remained cautious as escalating tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States weighed on global risk appetite, while continued selling by foreign institutional investors also kept pressure on equities.

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Nifty Sectoral Indicies

Sectoral indices showed broad-based weakness. Nifty Auto declined 3.19 per cent, Nifty FMCG fell 1.77 per cent, and Nifty Private Bank slipped 1.60 per cent, indicating pressure on consumption and financial stocks. Nifty Realty also dropped 1.63 per cent, while Nifty Bank fell 1.14 per cent.

However, some sectors saw limited buying. Nifty Oil & Gas rose 0.48 per cent, Nifty Chemical gained 0.52 per cent, and Nifty Metal advanced 0.35 per cent, while Nifty Media edged up 0.33 per cent. Broader markets also ended lower. Smallcap and midcap indices declined by up to 0.86 per cent, reflecting weak market breadth across segments.

Top Gainers and Losers

Among Sensex stocks, NTPC, Tech Mahindra, Power Grid Corporation of India and HCLTech were among the gainers. On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra dropped 4.32 per cent, Maruti Suzuki fell 3.76 per cent, Bajaj Finance declined 3.49 per cent, and Larsen & Toubro lost 3.19 per cent. Other laggards included UltraTech Cement, Trent, Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank.

Stock Market Update

Market breadth remained weak on March 12, 2026, reflecting broad selling across stocks. On NSE, out of 3,302 stocks traded, 1,238 advanced, while 1,966 declined, and 98 remained unchanged. A total of 31 stocks hit their 52-week highs, whereas 323 stocks touched their 52-week lows, indicating pressure across the broader market.

Meanwhile, 63 stocks were locked in the upper circuit, while 74 stocks hit the lower circuit during the session. The total number of registered investors stood at 25,31,41,492, while the overall market capitalisation was about Rs 438.50 lakh crore as of the close on March 12, 2026.