Nifty Plunges Nearly 500 Points in Broad Sell-Off, Hits 11-Month Low

Nifty extended its losing run to three straight sessions, plunging 488 points or 2.06% to settle at 23,151, its lowest closing level since April 11, 2025. After opening 176 points lower on the back of weak global cues, index faced relentless selling pressure throughout the day, ending near its session lows. For the week, Nifty shed 5.31%, its biggest weekly fall in four years (since the week ending June 17, 2022).

Among Nifty stocks, only Tata Consumer, Hindustan Unilever, and Bharti Airtel bucked the trend with gains. On the other Larsen & Toubro, Hindalco, and Tata Steel bore the brunt of the selling pressure to end as top losers.

It was a sea of red across the board. Every sectoral index ended in negative territory, with Metal, PSU Banks, Auto, and Media sectors logging the steepest losses.

The broader market, which had shown some resilience over the last two sessions, ended with steep losses. Both the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 dropped over 2.5%. Market breadth worsened, with BSE's advance-decline ratio slumping to 0.28.

The Indian Rupee also felt the heat, sliding 26 paise to a fresh record low. A combination of escalating tensions in West Asia in West Asia, surging crude oil prices, and persistent foreign fund outflows has kept the local currency under immense pressure as investors pivot toward "risk-off" assets.

Nifty has now retraced more than 3,000 points from its February high of 26,371, signaling strong bearish momentum. Trend of the Nifty continues to remain weak, with immediate supports placed at 22,900 and 22440. On any recovery attempt, the 23,700 – 23,900 zone now stands as a formidable ceiling.

HSL Prime Research