Barometers nudge lower in early trade; Nifty trades below 24,000 level
The domestic equity benchmark traded with moderate losses in early trade. The Nifty traded below the 24,000 level. Private bank, realty and financial shares declined, while metal, media and FMCG shares advanced.
At 09:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 164.91 points or 0.21% to 77,397.99. The Nifty 50 index shed 13.35 points or 0.07% to 23,984.40.
The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.40% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index jumped 0.88%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,408 shares rose and 773 shares fell. A total of 139 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 1.61% to 20.02.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 2,811.97 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 4,168.17 crore in the Indian equity market on 08 April 2026, provisional data showed.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Lupin rose 0.45%. The company said that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its Dapagliflozin and Metformin tablets, a bioequivalent version of the branded drug Xigduo.
KEC International jumped 7% after the company said that it has secured new orders worth Rs 2,518 crore across its Civil, Transportation, T&D, and Cables & Conductors businesses, further strengthening its order book and visibility across key infrastructure segments.
NTPC added 1.45%. The company said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with France's EDF to jointly develop nuclear power projects in India. Separately, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has uprated the Dadri Power Station's capacity to 500 MW from 490 MW, taking the group's total installed capacity to 89,128 MW.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 0.52% to 6.934 compared with previous session close of 6.892.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 92.6350 compared with its close of 92.5400 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 5 June 2026 settlement fell 0.50% to Rs 151,018.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.08% to 98.85.
The United States 10-year bond yield added 0.12% to 4.293.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for June 2026 settlement gained $2.01 or 2.12% to $96.76 a barrel.
Global Markets:
Asia markets traded lower Thursday, as investors fret over news that Iran's parliamentary speaker charged the U.S. of breaching the terms of the two-week ceasefire agreement.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump had announced a 'double sided' ceasefire, more than a month into a war with Iran.
The ceasefire was contingent on Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran had said that it would stop defensive' operations if attacks on the country were halted, according to a statement from Iran's Foreign Minister. Israel has also agreed to the ceasefire, media reports said.
As per reports, Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf subsequently accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire deal. The violations are the denial of the Islamic Republic's right to enrich uranium and Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon, a drone's entry into Iranian airspace, he reportedly said.
Overnight in the U.S., stocks surged after President Donald Trump suspended attacks on Iran for two weeks, pausing a five-week conflict that closed a crucial waterway for global energy supplies.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ripped 1,325.46 points higher, or 2.85%, to 47,909.92. The S&P 500 popped 2.51% to 6,782.81, and the Nasdaq Composite surged 2.80% to 22,635.00.