Benchmark domestic equity indices closed lower on Monday as investors remained cautious ahead of fresh US sanctions on Iran, while elevated crude oil prices and rising domestic bond yields weighed on market sentiment.
The Nifty 50 declined 32.95 points, or 0.14 per cent, to close at 24,219.05, while the BSE Sensex fell 171.70 points, or 0.22 per cent, to settle at 77,370.13.
Brent crude was trading around USD 93 a barrel at the time of reporting. Gold was quoted at Rs 1,63,499 per 10 grams for 24-carat, while silver stood at Rs 2,45,658 per kg.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Metal gained 1.15 per cent and Nifty Realty rose 0.31 per cent. Nifty PSU Bank declined 1.27 per cent, followed by Nifty Media at 0.49 per cent, Consumer Durables at 0.47 per cent, Auto at 0.30 per cent and FMCG at 0.29 per cent.
Hindalco, JSW Steel, Dr Reddy’s, Tata Steel, HCL Tech and Tata Consumer were among the major Nifty gainers, while SBI Life, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, TMPV and Max Health were among the laggards.
Asian markets also closed lower, with South Korea’s KOSPI falling over 3 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declining 2 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei shedding 0.72 per cent. Singapore’s Straits Times fell 0.15 per cent.
