FIIs sold Rs 2,999 crore; Brent crude eased 3.7% to $97 after topping $100. Infosys trimmed revenue guidance, adding to tech drag. Analysts see near-term pressure.
Indian equities closed lower for a fifth straight session on Friday, with the Sensex falling 331.62 points to 76,059.77 and the Nifty slipping 102.15 points to 23,767.45. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and renewed US tariff concerns kept investors cautious, while fresh foreign fund outflows and selling in HDFC Bank added to the pressure.
Infosys declined 1% after the IT services company tempered the upper end of its full-year revenue forecast to between 1.5% and 3%, citing continued macroeconomic uncertainty. Other laggards on the Sensex included Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, Bharti Airtel and Asian Paints. HCL Tech, ITC, Axis Bank and Tata Consultancy Services rose.
Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 2,999.23 crore on Thursday, exchange data showed. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dropped 3.66% to $96.98 per barrel on Friday after surpassing $100 in the previous session.
Indian equity markets extended their losing streak to a fifth consecutive session as investors remained cautious amid lingering geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and renewed concerns over US trade tariffs. Weakness across Asian markets reinforced the risk-off mood, prompting broad-based selling despite signs of easing pressure in energy markets. – Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money
Market sentiment is likely to remain under pressure in the near term, as sustained oil prices in a higher range could begin to adversely impact key macroeconomic indicators and growth dynamics. Washington's new tariffs on imports added another headwind for export-driven economies, with technology-heavy markets having been hit the most as higher rates weigh on growth and investors are increasingly seeking to diversify their concentrated exposure to other emerging market opportunities. – Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments
Asian markets also fell sharply. South Korea's KOSPI tanked 5.72%, while Japan's Nikkei 225, Shanghai's SSE Composite and Hong Kong's Hang Seng all ended lower.
HDFC Bank, which saw selling pressure, carries an Alpha Score of 36 (Mixed) from AlphaScala, while Infosys, which trimmed its guidance, has a score of 57 (Moderate). Full profiles are available on the HDB stock page and INFY stock page.
Prepared with AlphaScala editorial tooling from the source reporting linked above. Indexable analysis may include a cited Alpha Score value. Publishing checks screen each story before release. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.