After six consecutive sessions of gains, Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Friday due to profit booking, renewed trade concerns, and rising crude oil prices. The Sensex fell 344.52 points, or 0.41%, to 84,211.88, while the Nifty 50 slipped 96 points, or 0.37%, to 25,795.15. Broader indices also weakened but outperformed the benchmarks, with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices down 0.25% and 0.19%, respectively.
Among sectors, only Nifty Metal and Nifty Realty advanced, up 1.03% and 0.18%, while FMCG, private banks, and PSU banks led the declines. According to Ajit Mishra, SVP–Research at Religare Broking, persistent profit booking after the recent rally, weak earnings from FMCG majors, and global volatility weighed on sentiment.
Investors now await key triggers, including the U.S. Federal Reserve’s October 28–29 meeting, where policymakers are expected to cut interest rates, and the upcoming U.S.–China presidential talks that could influence trade dynamics. Meanwhile, gold and silver prices dropped after nine weeks of gains, with MCX December gold down 2.8% to ₹1,23,451 per 10 grams and silver falling 5.8% to ₹1,47,470 per kg.
