Sensex, Nifty End Lower For Fifth Day On Trade Concerns

(RTTNews) - Indian shares ended Thursday's session lower amid mixed signals on U.S.-India trade talks and uncertainty about the outlook for U.S. interest rates.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged India to avoid Russian oil, citing moral and strategic concerns, while emphasizing alternatives and opportunities for deeper energy cooperation between Washington and New Delhi.

Closer home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that India's growth remains resilient and remarkable and that the country must become self-reliant despite global uncertainties.

He also stressed that the government is doubling down on its efforts towards the 'Make in India' initiative, aiming to make 'chips to ships' in the country.

During his keynote address at the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show 2025, Modi hailed India's ties with Russia, calling it a "time-tested partner".

Investors also reacted to reports suggesting that the Trump administration has launched new investigations into imports of robotics, industrial machinery, and medical devices, signaling a potential expansion of the tariff program.

The benchmark BSE Sensex dropped 555.95 points, or 0.68 percent, to 81,159.68, extending losses for a fifth straight session on the back of relentless foreign fund flows and ongoing concerns surrounding H-1B visa fee hike.

The broader NSE Nifty index fell 166.05 points, or 0.66 percent, to 24,890.85 while the BSE mid-cap and small-cap indexes ended down 0.7 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively.

The market breadth was weak on the BSE, with 2,700 shares declining while 1,478 shares advanced and 141 shares closed unchanged.

Among the prominent decliners, Power Grid Corp and Trent both lost over 3 percent.

Tata Motors fell 2.7 percent after reports of the potential £2 billion cyberattack bill being higher than JLR's entire FY25 profit.