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The Indian stock market ended the first trading session of the week deep in red. Both benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty ended with losses on Monday.

The BSE Sensex tumbled 572 points and closed at 80,891, while the NSE Nifty50 took a fall of more than 150 points to settle a little under 24,700 at 24,680.75.

On the 30-share Sensex, HUL, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, PowerGrid, and HDFC Bank emerged among the gainers. Meanwhile, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finance, Bharti Airtel, Titan, and TCS settled among the laggards.

In the broader markets, the Nifty Smallcap100 closed 1.26 per cent down, leading the pack of red. Sectorally, the Realty and Media indices suffered heavy losses and settled 4.07 per cent and 2.70 per cent lower respectively. On the other hand, the Pharma index recorded marginal gains of 0.43 per cent during closing time.

Notably, during the opening bell, both indices began trading on a lower note, extending the bearish mood seen in recent weeks, as investors grappled with persistent foreign fund outflows, muted global cues and lingering uncertainty over the India–US trade negotiations. Heavy selling in Kotak Mahindra Bank added further pressure on the indices.

At 9:15 AM, the BSE Sensex was down nearly 250 points at 81,214, while the NSE Nifty shed 70 points to trade at 24,764.

Prolonged Weakness and Market Triggers

The Nifty has now logged four consecutive weeks of losses — its longest losing streak since October 2024 — after shedding 131.4 points or 0.52 per cent last week. The Sensex also fell by 294.64 points or 0.36 per cent during the same period. Market watchers say negative triggers have dragged the benchmark Nifty to a one-month low, reflecting fragile investor sentiment.

“Negative news and triggers have pushed the Nifty to a one-month low, and market sentiments continue to be unfavourable. While trade deals with Japan and EU, thought to be difficult initially, have happened, the much expected India–US trade deal is even now hanging fire. This has impacted market sentiments,” said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

He also noted that weakness in the IT sector has amplified the decline. “The sharp cut in the IT index has been dragging the market down, and there is no respite in this in view of the 2 per cent cut in its global workforce announced by TCS,” he added.

FII Outflows Add Pressure

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) have been consistent sellers, offloading equities worth Rs 13,552 crore in the cash market last week alone. On Friday, FIIs sold shares worth Rs 1,979.96 crore, according to exchange data.

Friday’s session had already signalled weakness ahead, with the Sensex plunging 721.08 points or 0.88 per cent to close at 81,463.09 — its lowest level in over a month. The Nifty also fell 225.10 points or 0.90 per cent to settle at 24,837, setting the tone for a cautious start this week.