Sensex, Nifty50 end choppy session lower weighed down by banks, Adani Enterprises

• The 30-stock Sensex ended 0.51% or 311 points lower at 60,691 while the 50-stock Nifty50 closed 0.56% or 99 points down at 17,844.
• Markets were volatile across the world ahead of the US Fed meeting due on Wednesday.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India were among the top losers with more than 1% losses.
• Banks and financial services were among the biggest losers on Dalal Street on Monday – the Nifty PSU Bank index fell 1.1% while the Nifty Fin Service index was down 0.98%.

India’s benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty50 ended a volatile session lower on Monday led by losses in banking stock and shares of Adani Enterprises, heavyweights HDFC and Reliance Industries.

Markets were volatile across the world ahead of the US Fed meeting due on Wednesday.

The 30-stock Sensex ended 0.51% or 311 points lower at 60,691 while the 50-stock Nifty50 closed 0.56% or 99 points down at 17,844.

“Stocks are getting beaten ahead of the release of Fed minutes on Wednesday. Maintaining its guard against inflation, the Fed is expected to remain hawkish. As expected, it is unlikely to have a dire effect on the global stock market. However, the consequence of constant high interest rates is causing a slowdown in demand and the earnings outlook, hence the near-term trend will be cautious,” said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Financial Services.

Banks and financial services were among the biggest losers on Dalal Street on Monday with the Nifty PSU Bank index losing 1.1% and the Nifty Fin Service index down 0.98%.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India were among the top losers with more than 1% losses.

“Drubbing in banking stocks dragged down the markets today, which languished in the negative territory for a major part of the trading session. Factors such as more pain going ahead through further rate hikes, rising inflation, and the recent Adani saga continue to weigh on investors' minds. Also, Indian stocks are still expensive compared to China, and hence investors are taking this opportunity to curb their holdings,” said Shrikant Chouhan, head of equity research (retail) at Kotak Securities.

Adding to it, the meltdown in Adani group stocks resumed on Monday, with the flagship Adani Enterprises witnessing the most selling.

Gautam Adani’s wealth has also seen a rapid decline, falling to $49.1 billion from $119 billion on January 24, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index – this is a decline of nearly $70 billion in 26 days since the Hindenburg report was published.
Source: NSE on February 20

Foreign portfolio investors (FPI) were also net buyers last week, with equity purchases of ₹7,666 crore.

On Monday FPIs sold worth ₹158 crore of Indian equities while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought ₹86 crore of equities.

On Friday, the Sensex and the Nifty50 capped off a volatile week to close in the red – while the Sensex declined 0.52% to close at 61,003, the Nifty50 closed 0.51% lower at 17,944. Overall, the Sensex gained 0.99% last week, while the Nifty50 closed 0.62% higher.

Brent crude oil prices edged up on Monday by 0.66% to $83.55 per barrel.

Mixed global markets
Robust economic data continued to weigh down on investor sentiment in the US. S&P 500 declined 0.28%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.39%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, however, fell 0.58%.

Meanwhile, markets in Asia ended higher with the biggest gainer being Shanghai Composite, which rose 2.06%, followed by Hang Seng - which gained 0.81%. KOSPI was up 0.16% and Nikkei 225 was up 0.07%.
Source: NSE on February 20

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