Indian Stock Market Ends Lower After Volatile Session as IT, Oil Stocks Drag Indices

Mumbai: The Indian stock market today closed on a negative note on Monday after a choppy trading session, as persistent selling in information technology and oil and gas stocks overshadowed early gains and dampened investor sentiment. Markets also remained cautious due to mixed global signals following reports of a US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

By the end of the session, the Nifty settled at 26,250.30, registering a decline of 78.25 points, or 0.3 per cent. Market participants turned cautious in the latter half of the day as profit booking emerged at elevated levels.

Indian Stock Market Today Faces Key Resistance Levels

According to market analysts, the 26,300–26,350 zone has emerged as a critical resistance band for the benchmark index. A sustained and decisive move above this range could potentially revive bullish momentum and pave the way for a rally toward the 26,500 mark in the near term.

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On the downside, analysts cautioned that a firm break below the 26,200 level may trigger a corrective phase, with the index likely to drift toward the 26,050–26,000 support zone if selling pressure intensifies.

Sensex Slides After Early Record Highs

The Sensex mirrored the broader market weakness and ended the day lower at 85,439.62, slipping 322.39 points, or 0.38 per cent. Earlier in the session, optimism had pushed the Nifty to a fresh all-time high of 26,373.20, but the rally proved short-lived as investors chose to book profits.

Heavyweight stocks such as HDFC Bank, Infosys, HCLTech, Bajaj Finance, and TCS were among the top laggards, exerting significant pressure on the benchmark indices.

Indian Stock Market Today Shows Mixed Sectoral Trends

Despite the broader weakness, select stocks offered some support. Shares of Bharat Electronics, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel, UltraTech Cement, and Axis Bank ended the session among the top gainers, helping limit deeper losses.

The broader market remained mixed, with the Nifty Midcap index edging down 0.16 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap index declined by a sharper 0.53 per cent, reflecting selective selling pressure.

Realty and FMCG Stocks Outperform

Sectorally, technology and oil and gas stocks bore the brunt of the sell-off, with both the Nifty IT and Nifty Oil and Gas indices falling close to one per cent each. In contrast, real estate stocks significantly outperformed, as the Nifty Realty index surged more than 2 per cent.

FMCG and consumer durable stocks also ended in positive territory, indicating sustained investor interest in defensive and consumption-oriented sectors amid ongoing market volatility.