Market ends lower ahead of CPI data; Sensex falls 369 pts, Nifty slips below 24,500

India's benchmark indices ended lower in a choppy trade on Tuesday, weighed down by selling pressure in the realty, FMCG, and financial sectors. However, market losses were capped after some buying in the auto, IT, pharma, and oil & gas sectors. Investors also turned jittery ahead of the critical domestic and U.S. inflation readings.

After moving marginally higher in range-bound trade for most of the session, the BSE Sensex settled 368.49 points lower at 80,235.59 amid a spurt in selling activities in the final hour of the day’s trade. The NSE Nifty50 ended 97.65 points, or 0.4%, lower at 24,487.40 levels.

“Market focus stayed firmly on upcoming macroeconomic releases, particularly India’s July CPI inflation figures and the U.S. CPI print,” Bajaj Broking said in a note.

The broader market ended on a mixed note, with the Nifty Midcap 100 index falling 0.27%, while the SmallCap index ended marginally higher by 0.04%.

In the BSE Sensex pack, 19 out of 30 stocks ended in the negative territory, led by Bajaj Finance , Trent , Hindustan Unilever , HDFC Bank , and Eternal (Zomato) .

On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki , Tech Mahindra , Mahindra & Mahindra, NTPC , and Tata Steel were among the top gainers.

Vinod Nair, head of research, Geojit Investments, said the market saw volatility due to the ongoing developments in global trade tariffs, reflecting caution following the extension of the U.S.-China tariff truce and ahead of key inflation data due later today.

“The U.S. inflation figures, with any signs of tariff-related impact, could influence the Fed’s policy stance. Meanwhile, domestic inflation is expected to remain below the RBI’s target range,” he said.

In the near term, stock-specific movements are likely to persist, with investors’ attention focused on domestic consumption-led sectors to beat volatility, Nair added.

"Markets failed to build on Monday’s gains and ended nearly half a per cent lower amid volatility. The session started on a positive note, but noticeable pressure in heavyweights, particularly banking and financial stocks, not only erased the early gains but also dragged the index into negative territory,” said Ajit Mishra, SVP–research, Religare Broking.

Technically, today’s decline reflects a lack of conviction among participants amid mixed cues, and the bias is likely to turn positive only if the Nifty decisively sustains above 24,600, its 100-DEMA. “Meanwhile, select stocks across sectors are showing notable strength on the back of strong earnings and upbeat prospects. Participants should focus on these outperformers and avoid laggards while anticipating a rebound,” Mishra added.

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