Indian stock markets opened lower on Tuesday, December 17, as investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate decision. Both the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty experienced declines due to selling pressure on key stocks.
The 30-share BSE Sensex fell by 350.98 points to 81,397.59, while the NSE Nifty dropped by 100.8 points, reaching 24,567.45. Key stocks like Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank contributed significantly to the downward movement.
Among the top losers were Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, Nestle, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, JSW Steel, and Titan. On the positive side, stocks such as Tata Motors, Adani Ports, Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies, and Hindustan Unilever saw gains.
Global markets also showed mixed performance. Asian markets, including Seoul, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, were in the red, while Tokyo saw a positive start. Investors are closely monitoring the US Federal Reserve’s meeting, with expectations of a 0.25% rate cut. Any indication of tighter policies could impact market sentiment, although experts believe this is unlikely.
Foreign institutional investors sold off equities worth ₹278.70 crore on Monday, contributing to the cautious mood. Meanwhile, global oil prices saw a slight dip, with Brent crude falling by 0.14% to $73.81 per barrel.
On Monday, the Sensex closed 0.47% lower at 81,748.57, while the Nifty ended down 0.40% at 24,668.25.
