Sensex settles 324 pts lower; Nifty ends below 25,600 level

The key equity barometers ended with modest cuts today, pressured by renewed worries over global trade tensions and mixed earnings from index heavyweights. Investors are tracking the Q3 earnings season and cues from the World Economic Forum annual meeting. The Nifty settled below the 26,050 mark. Realty, media and oil & gas stocks declined, while FMCG and auto advanced.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 324.17 points or 0.39% to 83,246.18. The Nifty 50 index lost 108.85 points or 0.42% to 25,585.50.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.43% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 1.28%.

 

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 4% to 11.83.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,229 shares rose and 3,072 shares fell. A total of 182 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday raised its economic growth forecast for India for the 202526 financial year, citing stronger-than-expected momentum in recent quarters. IMF has revised India's GDP growth estimate for FY26 upward by 0.7 percentage points to 7.3 percent, reflecting a better-than-anticipated performance in the third quarter and sustained strength heading into the fourth. However, the IMF expects growth to ease to 6.4 percent in 2026 and 2027 as temporary and cyclical factors supporting the economy begin to wane.

World Economic Forum:

As the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting at Davos 2026 begins against the backdrop of global economic challenges, policymakers and business leaders are expected to push for greater dialogue and cooperation. The gathering is likely to set the tone for international collaboration and provide key cues for global markets in the year ahead.

The World Economic Forums Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held from January 19 to 23, 2026. Several global leaders across fields will share their views on global issues and the way forward.

US President Donald Trump is expected to address the World Economic Forum at Davos on Wednesday. According to media reports, his remarks are likely to focus on housing affordability.

New Listing:

Shares of Bharat Coking Coal ended at Rs 40.66 on the BSE, representing a premium of 76.78% as compared with the issue price of Rs 23.

The stock debuted at Rs 45.21, marking a premium of 96.57% to the issue price.

The stock has hit a high of 45.21 and a low of 40.13. On the BSE, over 1,197.01 lakh shares of the company were traded in the counter.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Realty index fell 1.99% to 836. The index rose 0.35% in the past trading session.

Godrej Properties (down 4.83%), Brigade Enterprises (down 3.62%), SignatureGlobal India (down 2.97%), Lodha Developers (down 2.51%), Sobha (down 2.23%), Anant Raj (down 1.69%), DLF (down 1.23%), Prestige Estates Projects (down 1.14%), Phoenix Mills (down 0.97%) and Oberoi Realty (down 0.58%) tumbled.

Sobha fell 2.26% after the company reported a 28.85% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 154.28 crore on a 22.95% fall in revenue from operations to Rs 943.11 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q3 FY25.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Wipro tumbled 7.95% after the company reported a 3.92% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 3,119 crore despite a 3.78% jump in revenue from operations to Rs 23,555.8 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q2 FY26.

Reliance Industries (RIL) slipped 3.04% after the company reported a 1.6% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 22,290 crore on a 10% increase in gross revenue to Rs 293,829 crore in Q3 FY26 as compared with Q3 FY25.

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) shed 0.94%. The companys consolidated net profit surged 189.82% to Rs 403.42 crore in Q3 FY26, compared with Rs 134.70 crore in Q3 FY25. Revenue from operations rose 16.43% year-on-year to Rs 8,473.10 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2025.

Mahindra EPC Irrigation shed 0.92%. The company reported consolidated net profit rose 2.20% to Rs 6.49 crore in Q3 FY26, compared with Rs 6.35 crore recorded in Q3 FY25. Revenue from operations rallied 14.75% to Rs 93.47 crore in Q3 FY26, against Rs 81.45 crore posted in the same quarter last year.

Nureca jumped 4.90% after net profit stood at Rs 3.73 crore in Q3 FY26, compared with a loss of Rs 2.80 crore in Q3 FY25. On a sequential basis, PAT rose 2.8% from Rs 3.63 crore in Q2 FY26. Revenue from operations jumped 49.8% YoY to Rs 39.64 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 26.46 crore a year ago. Sequentially, revenue increased 5.0% from Rs 37.74 crore in Q2 FY26.

JK Cement declined 1.59% after the company reported an 8.56% tumble in consolidated net profit to Rs 173.61 crore as against Rs 189.87 crore posted in Q3 FY25. However, revenue from operations rose 18.18% to Rs 3,463.07 crore in Q3 FY26, compared with Rs 2,930.28 crore posted in Q3 FY25.

ICICI Bank slipped 2.26% after the bank reported a 4.02% fall in standalone net profit to Rs 11,318 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 11,792 crore in Q3 FY25. Net interest income (NII) increased by 7.7% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 21,932 crore in Q3 FY26. Net interest margin was 4.30% in Q3 FY26 as against 4.25% in Q3 FY25.

HDFC Bank shed 0.38%. The company reported an 11.46% jump in standalone net profit to Rs 18,563.75 crore on a 2.91% increase in total income to Rs 90,005 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q3 FY25.

Netweb Technologies India rallied 1.58% after the companys standalone net profit soared 146.7% to Rs 73.31 crore on a 141% surge in revenue from operations to Rs 804.92 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q3 FY25.

JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals gained 0.75%. The company reported a 21.79% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 197.89 crore, supported by a 10.51% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 1,064.72 crore in Q3 FY26 compared to Q3 FY25.

Global Markets:

European shares traded lower on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened economic sanctions on a number of countries in the region if they oppose his plans to acquire Greenland.

The December Eurozone annual CPI figure is expected to be 2.0%, hitting the European Central Banks target for the first time since mid-2025, down from 2.1% in November.

Asian markets ended mixed as investors weighed the Trump administrations threats toward Greenland over the weekend and key economic data released from China on Monday.

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders exchanged tense rhetoric over the Arctic territory, with Trump threatening tariffs on eight European countries and demanding control of Greenland, which is part of Denmark.

European leaders responded by calling the threats completely wrong and unacceptable.

In Asia, China released its fourth-quarter GDP numbers, along with December figures for retail sales, urban investment, and industrial output.

Chinas economic growth slowed to its weakest pace in nearly three years in the fourth quarter as domestic demand softened, though full-year growth matched Beijings target despite growing trade frictions with the U.S. and a prolonged real estate slump.

Gross domestic product grew 4.5% in the October-to-December period, data from the National Statistics Bureau showed Monday. That marked a slowdown from 4.8% in the third quarter and was the weakest reading since the first quarter of 2023, when growth also came in at 4.5%.

The full-year economic output came in at 5%, meeting the official target of around 5%.

On Friday in the U.S., the S&P 500 ended just below the flatline and posted a losing week, while the Nasdaq Composite also inched down 0.06%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.17%.

The three major indexes hit their session lows after Trump said in the White House on Friday that hed rather have National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett stay in his current role and that he might not be chosen to become the next U.S. Fed chair.

Hassett has been seen as the more market-friendly option to replace the current Fed chair than the new frontrunner nominee, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, and is expected to be more willing to keep rates low.

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