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• The Indian stock market saw a minor dip with Sensex and Nifty closing lower, yet the overall trend remained positive.
• Sectors like auto, pharma, and metal experienced selling, while IT, PSU bank, and FMCG saw buying.
• Foreign institutional investors sold shares worth Rs 3,978 crore, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 5,869 crore.
• Despite the slight dip, the overall positive trend indicates the resilience and potential of the Indian stock market.

The Indian stock market witnessed a minor setback on Wednesday, with the Sensex and Nifty both closing lower. The Sensex ended the day at 80,081.98, marking a decrease of 138.74 points or 0.17 per cent. Similarly, the Nifty closed at 24,435.50, falling 36.60 points or 0.15 per cent. Despite this minor setback, the overall market trend remained positive. On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 2,189 shares were trading in the green, compared to 1,743 shares in the red.

Sector Performance and Top Gainers and Losers

The sectors that experienced selling included auto, pharma, metal, realty, energy, private bank, infra, and commodities. Conversely, sectors such as IT, PSU bank, financial services, FMCG, and media saw buying. The Nifty Midcap 100 index and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index both closed higher, while the Nifty Bank closed lower. Top gainers in the Sensex pack included Bajaj Finance, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, Infosys, TCS, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Maruti. On the other hand, M&M, Sun Pharma, Powergrid, L&T, NTPC, Axis Bank, and Titan were the top losers.

Influence of Foreign Institutional Investors and Rupee Performance

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 3,978 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 5,869 crore on the same day. The rupee remained flat at nearly 84.07 as the dollar strengthened. Market experts noted that despite a slight weakness in crude prices, FIIs continued to sell in Indian markets, maintaining pressure on the rupee. The Nifty experienced a volatile day of trade, swinging in both directions and ultimately closing in the negative down 37 points.