Indian stock markets witnessed a sharp correction on Thursday after fresh trade-related concerns rattled investor confidence, pushing benchmark indices to their worst single-day decline in nearly a month.
The sell-off was triggered by growing unease over India–US trade relations, following reports that the US government under President Donald Trump may be weighing extremely high import duties on Indian products. The possibility of tariffs running as high as 500 per cent prompted investors to pare exposure across equities, resulting in widespread losses.
The BSE Sensex ended the day at 84,180.96, slipping 780.18 points, while the NSE Nifty fell below the 26,000 mark to close at 25,876.85, down 263.9 points. Thursday’s fall marked the fourth straight losing session for both indices.
Large-cap stocks bore the initial brunt of the decline, with heavyweight names in IT, infrastructure and commodities dragging the market lower. Shares of TCS, Tech Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Industries and Tata Steel weighed heavily on the Sensex. In contrast, gains were limited to a few counters such as Eternal, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance and Bharat Electronics.
The selling intensified in the broader market, where risk appetite weakened further. Mid- and small-cap segments saw sharper corrections, with both the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices tumbling close to 2 per cent, signalling a defensive shift among investors.
Sectoral performance reflected the nervous mood. Metal stocks suffered the steepest losses, with the Nifty Metal index plunging over 3 per cent. Oil and gas shares also faced heavy pressure, while PSU banking and IT stocks recorded declines of around 2 per cent each.
