Indices extend losses for the 3rd day; Nifty settles below 25,850 mark

The domestic equity indices ended with moderate losses, extending losses for the third day in a row. Investor sentiment remained subdued amid persistent foreign institutional investor (FII) selling, while mixed signals from U.S. jobs data kept uncertainty around the Federal Reserves interest-rate outlook. Sentiment was further dampened by the lack of progress on a potential U.S.India trade agreement, which kept risk appetite in check. Market participants also remained focused on ongoing IPO activity. The Nifty closed below the 25,850 mark.

Media, consumer durables and realty shares declined, while PSU bank, IT and metal shares advanced.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 120.21 points or 0.14% to 84,559.65. The Nifty 50 index lost 41.55 points or 0.16% to 25,818.55. In three consecutive trading sessions, the Sensex slipped 0.83% while the Nifty declined 0.87%.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index slipped 0.53% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.85%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,479 shares rose and 2,687 shares fell. A total of 182 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, declined 2.23% to 9.84.

New Listings

Shares of Nephrocare Heath Services were at Rs 470.75 on the BSE, representing a premium of 2.34% as compared with the issue price of Rs 460.

The stock debuted at Rs 491.70 on the BSE, exhibiting a premium of 6.89% over the issue price.

The stock has hit a high of 498.70 and a low of 463.50. On the BSE, over 18.70 lakh shares of the company were traded in the counter.

Shares of Park Medi World were at Rs 148.15 on the BSE, representing a discount of 8.55% as compared with the issue price of Rs 162.

The stock debuted at Rs 155.60, marking a discount of 3.95% to the issue price.

The stock has hit a high of 165.75 and a low of 146.85. On the BSE, over 29.30 lakh shares of the company were traded in the counter.

IPO Update:

KSH International received bids for 33,05,874 shares as against 1,36,16,438 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 15:15 IST on Wednesday (17 December 2025). The issue was subscribed 0.24 times. The issue opened for bidding on 16 December 2025 and it will close on 18 December 2025. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 365 and 384 per share.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Media index fell 1.71% to 1,411.05. The index rallied 1.82% in the past two consecutive trading sessions.

Saregama India (down 6.01%), Nazara Technologies (down 3.91%), Prime Focus (down 3.44%), PVR Inox (down 1.72%), Network 18 Media & Investments (down 1.62%), Hathway Cable & Datacom (down 1.43%), Sun TV Network (down 1.01%), Tips Music (down 0.93%) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises (down 0.03%) declined.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Larsen & Toubro rose 0.06%. The EPC major announced that it has secured large orders for its Buildings & Factories (B&F) vertical in India. The value of the contract, according to L&T's internal classification, ranges between Rs 2,500 crore and Rs 5,000 crore.

Shriram Finance added 1.86% after the companys board will meet on Friday, 19 December 2025 to consider raising funds by way of equity shares or any other eligible securities through various modes.

Lupin gained 0.95%. The company said that it has received the establishment inspection report (EIR) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for its injectable facility in Nagpur, India, with a voluntary action indicated (VAI) classification.

Refex Industries declined 8.11%. The company has bagged an order worth approximately Rs 27.50 crore from a major power producer (PSU) for the transportation of pond ash to NHAI road projects.

Ahluwalia Contracts (India) rose 0.93%. The company received an order from Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) for civil construction work on EPC Mode at Punauradham, Sitamarhi, Bihar. The order is valued at Rs 888.38 crore and is scheduled to be completed within 42 months.

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels added 0.91%. The company said that it has signed an agreement to purchase new hotel assets in Kerala, which include a lakefront property named 'Purity' and a luxury houseboat named 'Discovery'.

RailTel Corporation of India slipped 0.78%. The company received a letter of acceptance (LoA) worth Rs 26.88 crore from V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority for implementation of advanced IT infrastructure at VOC Port.

Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) fell 0.76%. The company said it has secured a Rs 165.04 crore order from North Eastern Railway for constructing the substructure of Important Bridge No. 50, a double-line bridge over the river Gandak.

Niraj Cement Structurals rallied 1.58% after the company secured an order worth Rs 130.83 crore from the public works department (PWD).

Route Mobile declined 1.80% after Mark James Reid, chairman of the companys board, will be leaving the Proximus Group by end of January 2026 to pursue other career opportunities in the UK.

Global Markets:

European markets advanced on Wednesday as investors looked ahead to a series of regional central bank policy meetings, while softer inflation data provided support to the U.K. market.

The U.K.s inflation rate cooled sharply to 3.2% in November, boosting the chances of the Bank of England cutting interest rates at its final meeting of the year on Thursday.

Core inflation, excluding energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco, also rose by 3.2% in the year to November, down from 3.4% in October, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Most Asian markets ended higher as investors parsed trade data that came out of Japan.

Japans exports in November grew 6.1% year on year, data from the countrys finance ministry released Wednesday showed. The growth was higher than the 3.6% rise seen in the previous month.

Oil prices climbed after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly announced on social media platform that he will be ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 fell for a third session as traders digested the delayed release of the November jobs report.

The broad market index dropped 0.24% to settle at 6,800.26, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.23% to end at 23,111.46. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 302.30 points, or 0.62%, to close at 48,114.26.

Nonfarm payrolls grew slightly more than expected in November but slumped in October while unemployment hit its highest in four years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday in numbers delayed by the government shutdown.

Job growth totaled a seasonally adjusted 64,000 for the month, better than a widely reported estimate of 45,000 and up from a sharp decline in October.

The unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, its highest level since September 2021. A more encompassing measure that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons swelled to 8.7%, its peak going back to August 2021.

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