The benchmark Nifty 50 closed the truncated week down half a per cent at 22,713, marking its sixth straight weekly loss — the longest such streak since October 2025. Over the past six weeks, the index has shed nearly 11 per cent, reflecting weak investor sentiment on account of the spike in oil prices. If the coming week also ends in the red, it would extend the slide to the longest losing streak since March 2020 — when the index had plunged 33 per cent between the second week of February and the end of March during the Covid shock. That phase, however, was followed by a sharp rebound of over 12 per cent in the subsequent week. For a similar script to play out this time, the ongoing US-Iran tensions would likely need to come to a complete halt.
A clear reversal in market leadership played out across major sectoral indices between 2024-25 (FY25) and FY26. Most sectors that outperformed in FY25 lost momentum in FY26, while earlier laggards staged a recovery — underscoring the shifting nature of market trends. Defensives and rate-sensitive pockets such as financials, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and consumer durables, which delivered steady gains in FY25, slipped into underperformance in FY26. In contrast, sectors like automobiles and select cyclicals, which had a muted showing earlier, found their footing. Realty stood out as the exception. The sector remained under pressure across both fiscals. Elevated interest rates, which have dampened affordability, along with concerns over potential job losses, have weighed on demand. Additionally, stretched valuations following a strong run-up in previous years have led to investor fatigue, pushing realty stocks out of favour.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) seems to be taking a leaf out of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) playbook. Officials say the markets regulator plans to launch a WhatsApp channel aimed at boosting investor awareness. The idea is to create both an interactive platform and an information hub to better engage with investors. At the same time, Sebi is ramping up its outreach efforts in collaboration with market infrastructure institutions, focusing on investor education and rolling out tech tools to curb fraud. Just last week, Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey also called on big tech firms to work together more closely to tackle the issue of finfluencers violating regulations.
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