Updated April 4th 2025, 13:37 IST
Stock Market Today: The Indian Stock Market opened on a weak note on Friday following fresh tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump. While Indian indices showed some resilience compared to their Asian peers, global uncertainty weighed on investor sentiment.
At 12 p.m., the Nifty 50 index was trading at 22,959.30, down 290.80 points (1.25%), and the BSE Sensex was at 76,160.09, down 761.21 points (1%).
Sector-wise pharma and metal were the worst hit, dropping 4.26% and 5.11%, respectively. All major sectoral indices, including Nifty Auto (-2.42%), Nifty IT (-3.10%), Nifty Media (-2.51%), Nifty PSU Bank (-1.26%), Nifty Realty (-2.75%), and Nifty Oil & Gas (-3.77%), were trading in the red.
Despite the market downturn, some stocks managed to gain. On BSE, HDFC Bank led the gainers with a 1.86% rise, closing at Rs 1,827.00, followed by Bajaj Finance (1.52%) at Rs 8,728.65. Bharti Airtel climbed 0.82% to Rs 1,760.00, while Nestle India and Axis Bank posted modest gains of 0.66% and 0.27%, respectively.
On the losing side, Tata Steel suffered the biggest drop of 6.41%, closing at Rs 143.80, followed by Tata Motors, which declined 5.85% to Rs 615.80. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) fell 4.56%, Reliance Industries dropped 4.32%, and IndusInd Bank slipped 4.23%, making it a tough day for several blue-chip stocks.
Global markets also faced heavy selling pressure. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Singapore’s Straits Times Index both fell by over 3%, while South Korea’s KOSPI lost 1.45%.
In the US, major indices recorded sharp declines following Trump’s tariff announcement, with the S&P 500 plummeting 4.84% and the Nasdaq dropping 5.97%. The market turmoil was further fueled by Fitch Ratings downgrading China’s sovereign rating to 'A', citing increased government expenditure and the impact of new tariffs.
Looking ahead, investors are now focused on the upcoming earnings season next week, which is expected to influence market movements. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) interest rate decision on April 9 is another key event that could impact investor sentiment.
Additionally, with a market holiday on April 10 shifting options expiry to Wednesday, traders anticipate higher volatility in the coming days.
Published April 4th 2025, 12:15 IST