Indian markets took a breather on Thursday as investors locked in profits following a strong rally, with geopolitical tensions and the F&O expiry adding to the cautious sentiment.

Sensex and Nifty Snap Winning Streaks

The BSE Sensex ended its seven-session climb, slipping 315 points to close at 79,801. The index, which opened slightly weak at 80,058, touched an intraday high of 80,174 before retreating to a low of 79,725. Meanwhile, the Nifty 50 mirrored the sentiment, trading within a tight 131-point range and ultimately closing 82 points down at 24,247. Despite the dip, the Nifty wrapped up the April F&O series with a healthy 2.8% gain.

Market Movers: Who’s Up, Who’s Down

Among Sensex stocks, Hindustan Unilever led the laggards, dropping 4% after a muted quarterly performance. Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, and Eternal (Zomato) also ended in the red, falling between 1–2%. On the flip side, IndusInd Bank surged over 3%, while UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors, and Titan managed to stay in positive territory—offering some cushion to the broader selloff.

Sectoral Snapshot and Global Cues

Market breadth remained slightly negative, with over 2,000 declining stocks versus around 1,900 advancers on the BSE. Sector-wise, FMCG stocks came under pressure, dragging the BSE FMCG index down by 0.8%. Realty also lagged, dipping 1.4%, while the BSE Bankex edged 0.4% lower as the recent bank rally lost steam. However, auto stocks and cement names showed resilience, reflecting underlying strength in selective sectors. The BSE Healthcare index added 0.6% as well.

Globally, Wall Street posted gains on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq jumping 2.5% on tech optimism. Meanwhile, early Thursday futures were mixed. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei and Australia’s ASX 200 advanced, while South Korea’s Kospi and China’s CSI 300 dipped slightly, keeping the global market trends mixed.