Sensex, Nifty 50 end in the red— 10 key highlights of Indian stock market today

The Indian stock market closed in negative territory on Friday, March 28, due to profit booking amid weak global cues. US President Donald Trump's tariff policies kept sentiment fragile.

The Sensex closed 192 points, or 0.25 per cent, lower at 77,414.92, while the Nifty 50 settled 73 points, or 0.31 per cent, down at 23,519.35.

The mid- and small-cap indices underperformed, as the BSE Midcap index fell 0.68 per cent and the Smallcap index declined 0.35 per cent.

Due to the losses across segments, investors lost nearly ₹2 lakh crore in a day as the overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms dropped to nearly ₹413 lakh crore from about ₹415 lakh crore in the previous session.

Stock market today: 10 key highlights

Here are 10 key highlights of the Indian stock market today:

1. What weighed on the Indian stock market today?

Indian stock market slipped on profit booking, tracking weak global cues. Major Asian and European indices suffered significant losses as Trump's aggressive tariffs raised fears of a deeper and global trade war.

IT and automobile majors, including Infosys, Mahindra and Mahindra, TCS, HCL Tech and Maruti, ended as the top drags on the Sensex index.

"Asian markets are experiencing a new consolidation phase as the latest US tariff measures are expected to impact major manufacturing economies significantly. Additionally, a rise in Japan's CPI has contributed to the prevailing weakness," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited.

"The market’s upward momentum has stalled as investors evaluate the implications of these tariffs on the auto, ancillary, pharma and others sectors," Nair said.

2. Top 3 Nifty 50 gainers today

Shares of Tata Consumer (up 2.91 per cent), Kotak Mahindra Bank (up 2.13 per cent) and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise (up 1.88 per cent) ended as the top three gainers.

3. Top 3 Nifty 50 losers today

31 stocks ended in the red in the index, out of which shares of IndusInd Bank (down 3.64 per cent), Wipro (down 3.56 per cent) and Shriram Finance (down 3.28 per cent) ended as the top losers in the index.

4. Sectoral indices today

Nifty Media (down 2.29 per cent), IT (down 1.76 per cent), Realty (down 1.42 per cent) and Auto (down 1.03 per cent) ended with significant losses.

Nifty Bank ended flat while the Financial Services rose 0.25 per cent.

5. Most active stocks in terms of volume

According to NSE data, Vodafone Idea (81.77 crore shares), YES Bank (9.81 crore shares), and Reliance Power (8.5 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume.

6. Over 60 stocks hit 52-week highs

Some 62 stocks, including SBI Cards and Payment Services, Navin Fluorine International, JK Cement, AAVAS Financiers, Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals and Shree Cement, hit their 52-week highs in intraday trade on BSE on Friday.

7. Over 400 stocks plumb 52-week lows

In intraday trade on the BSE, 428 stocks, including Happiest Minds Technologies, Sona BLW Precision Forgings, and Indian Overseas Bank, hit fresh 52-week lows.

8. Five stocks rose over 15% on NSE

Seven stocks - Sarthak Metals (up 20 per cent), Generic Engineering Construction (up 19.97 per cent), Dangee Dums (up 19.95 per cent), Vaishali Pharma (up 19.92 per cent), BSE (up 16.09 per cent), Rajshree Polypack (up 15.82 per cent) and DRC Systems India (up 15.45 per cent)- were the stocks that jumped over 15 per cent on the NSE.

9. Advance-decline ratio

According to provisional data, 1,099 stocks advanced on the NSE on Friday, 1,807 declined, and 70 remained unchanged.

10. Nifty 50 outlook

According to Ajit Mishra, SVP of Research at Religare Broking, investors are awaiting fresh triggers for the next decisive move, while uncertainty surrounding tariff talks limits the upside.

"We continue to favour banking and financial stocks while recommending a selective approach in other sectors," said Mishra.

Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said 23,400 might act as immediate support. A fall below 23,400 could take the Nifty towards 23,200, where crucial support is placed.

"If Nifty holds above 24,200, it may witness further upside. On the other hand, if the Nifty does not fall below 23,400, it might rise towards 23,600 and higher," said De.

Read all market-related news here

Read more stories by Nishant Kumar

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.