Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened lower on Friday, March 27, 2026, in tandem with global markets. While the 30-share BSE Sensex shed 389.66 points or 0.51 per cent to start the session at 74,883.79, the Nifty fell 132.9 points to open at 23,173.55. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 75,273.45 and the Nifty 50 at 23,306.45. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index shed 244.18 points, or 1.57 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap Select Index was up by 99.94 points or 1.3 per cent, to trade at 7,132.05.
From the Sensex pack, TCS, Infosy, HCL Tech and Tech Mahindra were among the gainers with TCS leading the pack by gaining 1.03 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance, Indigo, Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra, and HDFC Bank were in the red, with Bajaj Finance the biggest loser, falling 2.20 per cent.
“On the downside, 23,100/74700 and 23000/74500 would act as key support zones, while 23,500–23,700/76000-76500 could be the crucial resistance areas for the bulls. However, below 23000/74500, the sentiment could change and may fall to 22800/22900-73900/73200,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.
Meanwhile, shares of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC) started the session in green as the government had slashed excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10.
In early trade, market breadth was negative, with 1,972 stocks declining against 660 stocks advancing on the NSE. 96 stocks remained unchanged.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative start as it opened with a drop of 172.5 points at 23,105.50, compared to the previous close of 23,278. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) extended their selling streak for the eighteenth straight day and offloaded equities worth Rs 1,805.37 crore on March 25, 2026. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) largely offset the outflows with purchases of Rs 5,429.78 crore.
Asian Markets Today .00 -236.65 -0.44
Asian stocks fell following a volatile overnight session on Wall Street, as uncertainty over the Middle East war kept crude oil highly volatile. While Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 236.65 points or 0.44 per cent to trade at 53,367. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up by 124.57 points or 0.50 points. South Korea’s Kospi traded in the red with a fall of 111.87 points at the time of writing the report. Shanghai’s SSE Composite index gained 10.04 points or 0.88 per cent.
