Sensex Closes in Green, Nifty Slips; Markets End Mixed After Volatile Session

Market Closer Updates – March 25, 2025

The stock market in India had a turbulent trading session and ended in a mixed condition. Even though the Sensex ended in the green, the Nifty settled in the red, which highlights the day's market oscillation. The Sensex was up 32.81 points or 0.04 percent at 78,017.19, and the Nifty was up 10.30 points or 0.04 percent at 23,668.65 when markets closed on 25 March, 2025.

Key Highlights

Global IT Stocks: Indian IT stocks like Infosys and Wipro remained on global radars. This sent the stocks down as a reaction.

Top Gainers

• Sun Pharma: Gained 2.87%, leading the rise as healthcare stocks continued to stay in the spotlight amid robust demand. The share ended at ₹1,657.70.
• Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL): Rose on positive news around defense contracts, +2.23%. The stock closed at ₹276.87.
• BPCL: Shares up 2.13% on stable crude oil price benefits. The stock closed at ₹262.40.
• Trent: Backed by robust retail demand, +1.94%.
• ICICI Bank: Shares rose on strong financial performance, up 1.92%.

Top Losers

• IndusInd Bank: Crashed on concerns over its derivative book, falling 23.01%. The stock closed at ₹693.30.
• Infosys: Under pressure,the stock was down by -2.94%.
• Wipro: Dragged down by the overall IT sector slump, fell 2.08%.
• Bajaj Finserv: Proved to be a profit-booking machine yet, the stock was down by 2.06%.
• Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M): Decline due to various factors, down by 1.80%.

Market Outlook

Amid global uncertainties, Indian stock markets have shown resilience on the back of supportive domestic economic data and strong foreign institutional money. Stocks in specific sectors moved wildly based on the current state of the market.

Market Mid-day Updates

The Sensex was up 183.85 points (0.24%) at 78,168.23 from the previous day’s close, and the Nifty was up 50.75 points (0.21%) at 23,709.10 at midday on 25 March, 2025. Earlier, BSE Sensex had touched the 78,700-level during the day owing to positive market sentiments.

Top Gainers of the Day:

1. UltraTech Cement Ltd.

• Opening Price: ₹11,240.00
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹11,419.10
  
  
• Percentage Change: +3.33%
  
  

UltraTech Cement led the gainers' list with a strong upward movement. The stock surged due to increased demand in the infrastructure and construction sectors, along with positive market sentiment towards cement stocks.

2. HCL Technologies Ltd.

• Opening Price: ₹1,622.00
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹1,635.05
  
  
• Percentage Change: +1.93%
  
  

HCL Tech saw a notable rise, driven by strong performance in the IT sector, positive global cues, and increased investor confidence in India's digital and technology sector.

3. HDFC Bank Ltd.

• Opening Price: ₹1,804.90
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹1,830.35
  
  
• Percentage Change: +1.69%
  
  

HDFC Bank continued its bullish trend, supported by positive banking sector developments, strong quarterly results, and expectations of stable interest rates.

4. Bajaj Finserv Ltd.

• Opening Price: ₹1,905.00
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹1,926.00
  
  
• Percentage Change: +1.68%
  
  

Bajaj Finserv witnessed gains due to optimism in the NBFC sector, strong financial performance, and increasing consumer demand for financial products.

5. Infosys Ltd. (INFY)

• Opening Price: ₹1,605.00
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹1,618.25
  
  
• Percentage Change: +1.60%

Infosys registered gains amid steady growth in the IT sector and continued investments in AI, cloud computing, and digital transformation.

Top Losers of the Day:

1. IndusInd Bank Ltd. (INDUSINDBK)

• Opening Price: ₹670.20
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹641.15
  
  
• Percentage Change: -4.23%
  
  

IndusInd Bank faced heavy selling pressure, leading to a sharp decline. Weakness in the banking sector, concerns over asset quality, and global market volatility contributed to this fall.

2. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. (DRREDDY)

• Opening Price: ₹1,210.30
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹1,168.55
  
  
• Percentage Change: -3.45%
  
  

Dr. Reddy’s stock declined due to sector-wide concerns in the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory uncertainties, and profit-booking by investors after a recent rally.

3. Hindalco Industries Ltd. (HINDALCO)

• Opening Price: ₹700.45
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹685.60
  
  
• Percentage Change: -2.27%
  
  

Hindalco saw a decline as metal stocks came under pressure due to global commodity price fluctuations and weak demand outlook in the aluminum sector.

4. Adani Enterprises Ltd. (ADANIENT)

• Opening Price: ₹2,385.00
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹2,315.10
  
  
• Percentage Change: -2.26%

Adani Enterprises witnessed selling pressure as investors booked profits amid broader market volatility and concerns over future earnings growth.

5. Bajaj Auto Ltd. (BAJAJ-AUTO)

• Opening Price: ₹8,160.00
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹7,953.85
  
  
• Percentage Change: -2.11%
  
  

Bajaj Auto shares dropped as auto stocks faced headwinds due to rising input costs, weak consumer demand, and concerns over slowing exports.

6. Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd. (ADANIPORTS)

• Opening Price: ₹1,205.00
  
  
• Closing Price: ₹1,175.95
  
  
• Percentage Change: -2.07%
  
  

Adani Ports saw a decline as logistics stocks were under pressure due to global trade slowdown concerns and potential disruptions in supply chains.

Market Overview

The market's positive movement was driven by optimism in the IT, banking, and cement sectors, along with global cues supporting investor sentiment. These stocks benefited from strong fundamentals, sector-specific growth, and positive market trends. The market correction was influenced by profit booking, global economic uncertainty, and weak sectoral performance in banking, pharma, and metals. Investors remained cautious as volatility persisted in key indices.

Market Open

Amid positive global cues, the Indian benchmark equity indices, BSE Sensex and Nifty50 opened higher Today. That emerged after President Donald Trump signaled he’d be more lenient than previously about imposing reciprocal tariffs, while threats of tariffs on other industries continued. At the opening, the Sensex gained 311.90 points to 78,296.28. While the Nifty50 went up 93.15 points to settle at 23,751.50. The Indian stock markets are likely to follow international cues, especially after Wall Street ended higher overnight on the back of signs of a gentler US tariff policy.

Factors Influencing Market Sentiment

• Trump’s tariff moves keep global automakers on edge: The rhetoric of a trade war has been revived with President Donald Trump threatening new tariffs on automobile imports. The new tariffs remain vague, but there is "hope" (to quote Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin) that some countries may escape the imposition of "reciprocal" tariffs expected to be announced next week. Today, automakers are in the spotlight with a major trade policy change looming on April 2.
• US GDP Data: The fourth-quarter GDP growth data will be released by the US on March 27, providing insights into the economy in the last months of 2024.

Global Backdrop:

• US Dollar: The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the value of the dollar against a basket of six major currencies, stood at 104.32 on Tuesday morning. This index measures how strong or weak the US dollar is relative to other major currencies. On March 24, the rupee settled at 85.64 to the dollar.

• Gold Rates: As per Goodreturns, on 24 March the price of 24-carat gold was ₹89,610, and the rate of 22-carat gold is ₹82,140 per 10 grams. Meanwhile, the price of 18-carat gold was ₹67,210 per 10 grams.

• Crude Oil: The price of crude oil on Tuesday (March 25), rose slightly, with WTI prices up 0.02% to $69.15 per barrel, and Brent crude up 0.07% to $73.04 per barrel.

Stocks in Focus:

• HCL Technologies: HCL Tech partners with Western Union to open a next-gen tech centre in Hyderabad to enhance Western Union's global tech capabilities.
• Wipro: Launch AI-enabled autonomous agents on its Agentforce platform;Transform the healthcare experience and drive administrative efficiencies.
• IndusInd Bank: To reapply against ₹30.15 crore penalty imposed by CGST and Central Excise, Thane for alleged GST violations.
• Britannia Industries: Part of its Jhagadia unit has come to a standstill due to a strike from workers, with negotiations to resolve the issue ongoing.
• Hyundai Motor India: Plans to invest ₹694 crore to develop and operate Tooling Centre in India.
• SBI Life Insurance: Gets Income Tax notice asking for payment of ₹431 crore in tax and interest.
• Brigade Enterprises: Buys 4.4 acres in East Bengaluru for residential project worth approx. ₹950 crore.
• Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL): Lowest bidder for Central Railway project worth ₹115.79 crore for OHE modification on the Itarsi-Amla section.
• NHPC: Trial of Unit-2 (200 MW) of its Parbati-II Hydroelectric Project successfully conducted; all remaining units likely to conduct trial run by March 2025.
• Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers: Announces order from a German company for the building and supplying of two multi-purpose vessels.
• Punjab & Sind Bank: Launches QIP at a floor rate ₹40.38 per share, aims to raise ₹2,000 crore
• Restaurant Brands Asia: The company opens its QIP issue at a floor price of ₹62.32 per share.
• Easy Trip Planners: Gets board in-principle approval to buy a 49% stake in Big Charter Pvt Ltd, foray into charter aviation.

Disclaimer: This news is solely for educational purposes. The securities/investments quoted here are not recommendatory.

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