The Sensex fell 479.26 points, or 0.63%, to 76,009.70 on May 26, reversing part of the previous session's rally. PTI's closing report linked weaker sentiment to rising oil prices following reports of fresh US military operations in southern Iran. Financial and banking shares were among the drags.
The dispatch quoted Brent at $98.96 a barrel, up 2.93%, and put the rupee's provisional close at 95.73 per dollar, a depreciation of 47 paise. Geojit Investments research head Vinod Nair said renewed military activity had undermined earlier optimism about a US-Iran agreement and reversed the currency's brief appreciation.
PTI identified Bharti Airtel, Trent, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Titan and HDFC Bank among Sensex laggards. Tech Mahindra, Eternal, Maruti and Adani Ports were gainers. Japan, Shanghai and Hong Kong ended lower, while South Korea advanced. European markets were mostly weaker when the report was filed.
NSE's own daily file records the Nifty 50 closing at 23,913.70, down 118 points, or 0.49%. It opened at 24,004.10, reached 24,089.80 and touched a low of 23,885.45. The finish was below the opening level and the 24,000 mark, although it remained above the session's low.
The exchange data also show why the benchmark decline was not an across-the-board sell-off. Nifty Metal added 1.10% to 13,492.55 and FMCG gained 0.14% to 50,227.35. Nifty Bank lost 0.36% to 55,092.90. The IT index was almost unchanged, slipping just 1.35 points to 28,978.50 despite weakness in individual technology shares.
Smaller-company measures finished higher: Nifty Midcap 100 rose 0.54% to 62,298.90, while Smallcap 100 gained 0.35% to 18,267.20. Those closing figures establish a divergence between the largest-stock benchmark and the two broader segments. Banks weakened, but metals and the smaller-company baskets retained gains through the close.
