Indian equity markets ended sharply lower on Wednesday, dragged by heavy selling in metal, IT, and financial stocks. The Sensex slipped 533 points to close in the red, while the Nifty 50 fell below the 25,900 mark, reflecting weak investor sentiment.
On the Nifty, Axis Bank, Eternal, HCL Technologies, Tata Steel, and JSW Steel emerged as the major laggards. In contrast, selective buying was seen in Bharti Airtel, Tata Consumer Products, Titan Company, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Bajaj Auto, which provided limited support to the benchmark.
Sectorally, barring Consumer Durables, FMCG, and Telecom, all other indices closed lower. Realty, Oil & Gas, Metal, IT, PSU Bank, and Private Bank indices declined in the range of 0.5 to 1 percent. Broader markets also remained under pressure, with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices falling nearly 1 percent each.
Overall, markets witnessed broad-based selling amid cautious global cues and profit booking at higher levels.
