Media, auto and oil & gas shares declined, while IT, consumer durables and realty shares advanced.
As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex shed 77.84 points or 0.09% to 84,481.81. The Nifty 50 index slipped 3 points or 0.01% to 25,815.55. In four consecutive trading sessions, the Sensex slipped 0.92% while the Nifty declined 0.89%.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.05% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.28%.
The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,644 shares rose and 2,498 shares fell. A total of 203 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, slipped 1.32% to 9.71.
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IPO Update:
KSH International received bids for 97,88,337 shares as against 1,36,16,438 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 15:15 IST on Thursday (18 December 2025). The issue was subscribed 0.72 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 1.27% to 1,393.20. The index dropped 2.95% in two consecutive trading sessions.
Tips Music (down 3.12%), Zee Entertainment Enterprises (down 2.26%), PVR Inox (down 2.02%), Nazara Technologies (down 1.86%), Hathway Cable & Datacom (down 1.29%), Sun TV Network (down 1.05%), Network 18 Media & Investments (down 0.84%) and Saregama India (down 0.68%) declined.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Jio Financial Services shed 0.27%. The company said its board, on the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee (NRC), has approved the appointment of Venkata Peri as group chief operating officer (COO), effective 22 December 2025.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries declined 2.74%. The company announced that the US FDA, post an audit, has determined the Baska facility inspection classification as Official Action Indicated (OAI).
Shares of asset management companies jumped on Wednesday after SEBI on Wednesday (17 December 2025) decided to lower mutual fund expense ratio limits, now termed the Base Expense Ratio or BER. The BER will exclude all statutory levies such as GST, stamp duty, SEBI fees and exchange charges.
Nippon Life India Asset Management surged 6.84%. HDFC Asset Management Company soared 7.14%. Motilal Oswal Financial Services rallied 4.13%. UTI Asset Management Company gained 1.93%. Nuvama Wealth Management rose 1.88%. while Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC advanced 1.62%.
Alembic Pharmaceuticals rose 0.48%. The company announced that it has received final approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Travoprost Ophthalmic Solution USP, 0.004% (ionic buffered solution).
Bajaj Electricals added 0.09%. The company announced that its management has decided to enter into the solar solutions business as a new and additional line under its Lighting Solutions segment.
Aurobindo Pharma advanced 1.50%. The company said that the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has completed the inspection of APL Healthcares Unit-IV, wholly owned subsidiary, located at Palchur village, Andhra Pradesh (AP). At the end of the current inspection, a Form 483 was issued with 5 observations which are procedural in nature.
Antony Waste Handling Cell zoomed 18.27% after its subsidiary, AG Enviro Infra Projects, has bagged two contracts for collection & transportation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Mumbai by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The total value of the contracts is around Rs 1,330 crore.
GMR Power and Urban Infra shed 0.83%. The company said that its board has approved raising up to Rs 1,200 crore through the issuance of equity shares and convertible warrants to select investors on a preferential basis.
Concord Biotech added 0.94%. The company announced that its board has approved the appointment of Raviraj Karia as chief financial officer (CFO) with effect from 18 December 2025.
Ola Electric Mobility fell 4.74% after founder and promoter Bhavish Aggarwal sold nearly 6.8 crore shares worth about Rs 234 crore through open market transactions over two days.
Thyrocare Technologies slipped 3.31%. The company announced that its board has approved the appointment of Dr Ramesh Kinha as chief operating officer (COO) with effect from 18 December 2025.
NHPC shed 0.40%. The company announced that it has successfully completed the trial run of Unit 2 (250 MW) of the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric project.
Max Healthcare Institute added 1.57% after the company announced that its board has approved the acquisition of of 100% equity stake in Yerawada Properties Private (YPPL), Pune, Maharashtra.
Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) rose 1.61% after the company announced 2 January 2026 as the record date for its proposed stock split. Under the plan, MCX will split each equity share with a face value of Rs 10 into five equity shares of Rs 2 each, a move aimed at improving liquidity and retail participation.
Patel Engineering advanced 2.24% after it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh for the restoration and development of the 144 MW Gongri Hydropower Project in West Kameng District.
United Drilling Tools added 0.25%. The company announced that it has secured an order worth Rs 4.05 crore from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the supply of gas lift valves and side pocket mandrels.
Mahindra Lifespace Developers shed 0.68%. The company has announced the launch of Mahindra Blossom, a premium residential development in Whitefield, Bengaluru, with a potential GDV of approximately Rs 1,900 crore.
MTAR Technologies slipped 1.03%. The company said that it has received orders worth Rs 310 crore from Megha Engineering & Infrastructures, a new customer in the civil nuclear power sector.
GE Vernova T&D India fell 3.64%. The company said it has received a letter of award (LoA) from Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) for the refurbishment of the 2x500 MW HVDC Chandrapur back-to-back link connecting the northern & southern regions of India.
Global Markets:
Most of European market advanced on Thursday as traders prepare for central bank decisions today.
Most Asian markets ended lower, led by renewed weakness in technology stocks as lingering concerns over stretched artificial intelligence valuations resurfaced. Investor sentiment was further dampened by expectations of a hawkish stance from the Bank of Japan, adding to regional market pressure.
Artificial intelligence-related stocks dragged indexes after a media report stated that Oracles primary investor, Blue Owl Capital, has pulled out from funding one of its data center projects.
The Bank of Japan kicked off its two-day policy meeting on 18 December 2025, set to conclude on Friday, 19 December, with markets widely expecting the central bank to raise interest rates to 0.75%, the highest level in 30 years.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes fell, with the S&P 500 down 1.16%, and the Nasdaq Composite seeing the largest loss of 1.81%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.47%.
Traders are awaiting the release of the U.S. consumer price index reading for November, due Thursday morning. It will mark the first consumer inflation report issued to the public since the government shutdown ended last month. Media reports stated that the headline inflation is expected to have grown at a pace of 3.1% on a year-over-year basis.
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