NIFTY50 and SENSEX snapped their 3-day winning streak and declined sharply today as oil prices surged and concerns around HDFC Bank led to weak investor sentiment.
NIFTY50 closed is 775 points or 3.2% lower at 23,002, with a day low of 22,930. Meanwhile, BSE SENSEX declined 2,496 points or 3.2% at 74,207. SENSEX hit a day low of 73,950 today. Among the NIFTY50 stocks, Shriram Finance (-6.7%), Eternal (-5.3%) and HDFC Bank (-5.1%) were the top losers.
Key factors behind the sharp market fall
Oil prices surge above $115: Brent Crude oil prices have rebounded sharply in the past few trading sessions to trade above $116 per barrel. Oil prices surged once again after missile strikes at key energy infrastructure in the Middle East region, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran escalates once again. Rising oil prices could add to inflationary pressures and risks to global economic growth.
US Fed hawkish tone: The US Federal Reserve kept its key interest rates unchanged in its meeting yesterday and signalled a hawkish stance, which means monetary policy focused on controlling inflation by raising interest rates and reducing the money supply. The recent surge in energy prices has increased the risk on inflation in the US and other countries.
Weak global markets: Domestic markets reacted to weak sentiments in the global markets as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged over 768 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively. Asian markets also closed lower as Japan’s Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed 3.3% and 1.9% lower.
Sharp fall in HDFC Bank: HDFC Bank shares saw a sharp decline today after the resignation of its part-time chairman and independent director, Atanu Chakraborty, with immediate effect. HDFC Bank has the highest weightage in the NIFTY50 index at 11.83%. Hence, a sharp fall in the stock dragged down the overall market.
Broader market indices like NIFTY Midcap100 (-3.1%) and NIFTY Smallcap100 (-2.8%) are also trading lower. More than 250 stocks hit their 52-week low today as investors did profit booking amid weak market sentiments.
The volatility index, or India VIX, is up 20.1% to 22.50. All the sectoral indices are trading red with NIFTY Auto (-4.1%), NIFTY Financial Services (-3.8%) and NIFTY Realty (-3.7%) among the top sectoral losers.
Prominent stocks at 52-week low today
| Stock | 52-week low | 1-year return* |
|---|---|---|
| HDFC Bank | ₹770 | -6.77% |
| Bajaj Finance | ₹826.7 | -4.18% |
| Hindustan Unilever | ₹2,070.1 | -5.23% |
| Infosys | ₹1,215.1 | -22.73% |
| Ambuja Cements | ₹423.8 | -16.15% |
| ITC Limited | ₹299.5 | -25.53% |
| SBI Cards and Payment | ₹686.3 | -17.83% |
| IDBI Bank | ₹71.55 | -4.18% |
| Lodha Developers | ₹818 | -30.00% |
| Patanjali Foods | ₹475.7 | -17.80% |
| Cipla Limited | ₹1,243.5 | -17.01% |
| Pidilite Industries | ₹1,310.3 | -4.01% |
| Gujarat Gas | ₹346.7 | -10.03% |
| Aegis Vopak Terminals | ₹171.6 | – |
| Aditya Birla Fashion | ₹56.5 | -77.31% |
| Bata India | ₹641.5 | -48.64% |
| Colgate Palmolive | ₹1,882.6 | -21.62% |
| CONCOR | ₹438.4 | -19.16% |
| Dabur India | ₹428.8 | -12.86% |
| GAIL (India) | ₹143.8 | -12.78% |
| Godrej Consumer | ₹1,019.5 | -4.56% |