Equity indices tumble at Friday close amid Middle East tensions, crude price spike
CHENNAI: Indian equity markets ended sharply lower on Friday, mirroring the bearish sentiment across Asian peers, amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a significant spike in crude oil prices. Escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran weighed heavily on investor sentiment, triggering broad-based selling across key indices.
BSE Sensex dropped 573.60 points or 0.70% to close at 81,118.60, after hitting an intraday low of 80,354.59. While, NSE Nifty50 fell 169.60 points or 0.68%, settling at 24,718.60.
The sell-off extended to the broader markets as Nifty Midcap 100 declined 0.24%, and Nifty Smallcap 100 ended 0.43% lower.
Sectoral indices witnessed mixed movement, with most ending in the red. The top losers were Nifty PSU Bank (-1.12%) and Nifty FMCG (-1.05%)
Other sectors under pressure included Metal, Financial Services, Auto, Energy, Pharma, Consumer Durables, and Oil & Gas
