Nearly half of BSE 500 stocks underperform market since March low

Nearly half the stocks that comprise the BSE 500 index have underperformed the market in the past six months when Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi announced the first 21-day nationwide curfew / lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 on March 24. The announcement triggered a sharp fall in the market, which hit their almost four-year low. Six months on, the frontline indices – the S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 – have rebounded 47 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively from their 46-month low touched on March 24 in intra-day trade.

The S&P BSE 500 index, which accounts