Dalal Street Bleeds! Sensex crashes over 1300 pts, Nifty slips below 24K; SBI among top losers

Stock Market Closing Bell: Indian equity benchmarks ended deep in the red on Monday as escalating tensions in West Asia and a sharp spike in crude oil prices triggered heavy selling across sectors, particularly in consumer durables and realty stocks. Weak global cues further dented investor sentiment, dragging frontline indices sharply lower.

The BSE Sensex closed at 76,015.28, down 1,312.91 points or 1.70 per cent, while the NSE Nifty50 settled at 23,815.85, losing 360.30 points or 1.49 per cent. The Nifty slipped below the key 24,000 mark amid broad-based weakness on Dalal Street.

Among the top losers on the Nifty50 were Titan Company, InterGlobe Aviation and State Bank of India, which came under intense selling pressure during the session.

The broader markets also witnessed sharp cuts, reflecting weak risk appetite among investors. The Nifty MidCap index ended 1.05 per cent lower, while the Nifty SmallCap 100 index declined 1.13 per cent.

Sectorally, the Nifty Consumer Durables index emerged as the worst performer, plunging nearly 4 per cent. Realty, PSU banking and media stocks also remained under pressure, dragging the Nifty Realty, Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Media indices lower. In contrast, defensive pockets of the market saw relative resilience, with the Nifty FMCG, Nifty Pharma and Nifty Healthcare indices outperforming the broader market.

Investor sentiment remained fragile after US President Donald Trump termed Iran’s response to Washington’s proposed peace deal as “unacceptable”, raising fears that geopolitical tensions in West Asia could persist for longer than anticipated. The developments fuelled concerns over supply disruptions, elevated crude oil prices, inflationary pressures and a potential slowdown in global economic growth.