Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended the last trading session of the 2025-26 financial year sharply lower on Monday, as the ongoing war in West Asia and rising crude oil prices kept investor sentiment under pressure.Weak cues from Asian markets and continued foreign fund outflows further dragged domestic equities.Extending losses for the second straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex plunged 1,635.67 points or 2.22 per cent to settle at 71,947.55. During the day, it dropped 1,809.09 points or 2.45 per cent to 71,774.13.Here are the top gainers and losers of the day:
Nifty50 top gainers:
- Hindalco (2.05%)
- Coal India (1.22%)
- ONGC (0.96%)
- Power Grid (0.21%)
Nifty50 top losers:
- Bajaj Finance (-5.01%)
- Kwality Wall’s (-4.79%)
- SBI (-3.94%)
- InterGlobe Aviation (-3.81%)
- Bajaj Finserv (-3.72%)
- Axis Bank (-3.65%)
- Jio Financial Services (-3.64%)
- Adani Enterprises (-3.53%)
- Shriram Finance (-3.51%)
- Kotak Bank (-3.49%)
BSE Sensex top gainers:
BSE Sensex top losers:
- Bajaj Finance (-5.01%)
- Kwality Wall’s (-4.79%)
- SBI (-3.94%)
- InterGlobe Aviation (-3.81%)
- Bajaj Finserv (-3.72%)
- Axis Bank (-3.65%)
- Kotak Bank (-3.49%)
- Bharti Airtel (-3.34%)
- HDFC Bank (-3.26%)
- Trent (-3.06%)
The broader market also reflected the sharp sell-off, with 3,563 stocks declining, 876 advancing and 154 remaining unchanged on the BSE.The 50-share NSE Nifty slumped 488.20 points or 2.14 per cent to close at 22,331.40.“The downturn was primarily driven by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which dashed hopes of de-escalation and pushed crude oil prices higher, raising concerns over inflation and macro stability for oil-importing economies like India.“Weak global cues, including declines across Asian and US markets, coupled with continued foreign institutional outflows and a weakening rupee, further weighed on sentiment,” Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said, PTI quoted.Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 2.18 per cent to $115.1 per barrel. In the last two trading sessions, the Sensex has fallen 3,325.9 points or 4.41 per cent, while the Nifty has dropped 975.05 points or 4.18 per cent.For the full 2025-26 financial year, the Sensex declined 5,467.37 points or 7 per cent, and the Nifty fell 1,187.95 points or 5 per cent.Broader markets also came under pressure, with the BSE MidCap Select index falling 3.13 per cent and the SmallCap Select index declining 2.14 per cent.All sectoral indices ended in the red, with auto, FMCG, consumer durables, capital goods, realty, private banks and PSU banks dropping between 2 per cent and 4 per cent.The BSE PSU Bank index plunged 4.60 per cent, followed by MidSmall Private Banks Quality Tilt (3.96 per cent), Bankex (3.80 per cent), Financial Services (3.46 per cent), Private Banks (3.43 per cent), BSE Top 10 Banks (3.40 per cent), Telecommunication (3.09 per cent) and Realty (3.03 per cent).“Banking stocks were among the key laggards following the RBI’s new restrictions on banks’ foreign exchange positions aimed at stabilising the rupee, which led to sharp declines across major private and public sector lenders.“While valuations now appear more favourable after the recent correction, the trajectory of earnings revisions remains the key determinant of market direction. Continued volatility in oil prices and rupee weakness may exert pressure on input costs, increasing the risk of near-term earnings downgrades,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.Meanwhile, the rupee gained 7 paise in a volatile session to close at 94.78 (provisional) against the US dollar, after hitting an all-time intra-day low of 95.22.In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunged nearly 3 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also ended lower. Shanghai’s SSE Composite index closed in positive territory.Markets in Europe were trading marginally higher, while US markets had ended sharply lower on Friday, with the Nasdaq Composite down 2.15 per cent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 1.73 per cent and the S&P 500 declining 1.67 per cent.“Indian equities extended their decline, with benchmark indices falling over 2 per cent, underscoring a deepening sell-off sentiment driven by persistent global uncertainties and rising crude oil prices,” Hariprasad K, Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said.Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 4,367.30 crore on Friday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 3,566.15 crore, as per exchange data.Foreign investors have pulled out Rs 1.14 lakh crore (about $12.3 billion) from domestic equities in March, marking the worst monthly outflow, amid escalating tensions in West Asia, a weakening rupee and concerns over elevated crude oil prices.





