Sensex, Nifty End Lower on US Tariff Jitters, FY25 Gains

Mumbai, Mar 28 (PTI) Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower on the last trading day of the 2024-25 fiscal on Friday, mirroring weak trends in global markets amid uncertainties over Trump tariffs.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex declined 191.51 points or 0.25 per cent to settle at 77,414.92 in a volatile trading session. During the day, it slumped 420.81 points or 0.54 per cent to 77,185.62.

The NSE Nifty dropped 72.60 points or 0.31 per cent to 23,519.35.

In the 2024-25 financial year, the Sensex jumped 3,763.57 points or 5.10 per cent, and the Nifty climbed 1,192.45 points or 5.34 per cent.

From the Sensex pack, IndusInd Bank dropped over 3.50 per cent, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra which declined more than 2 per cent. HCL Tech, Maruti, Infosys, Zomato, Power Grid, Adani Ports, Tata Consultancy Services and UltraTech Cement were also among the laggards.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, Tata Motors, Nestle and Bharti Airtel were among the gainers.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled with deep cuts. European markets were quoting in the negative territory. US markets ended lower on Thursday.

"Asian markets are experiencing a new phase of consolidation as the latest US tariff measures are expected to have a significant impact on major manufacturing economies. Additionally, a rise in Japan's CPI has contributed to the prevailing weakness.

"Domestically, the market's upward momentum has stalled as investors evaluate the implications of these tariffs on the auto, ancillary, pharma and others sectors," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 11,111.25 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.18 per cent to USD 74.16 a barrel.

The BSE benchmark gauge climbed 317.93 points or 0.41 per cent to settle at 77,606.43 on Thursday. The Nifty rallied 105.10 points or 0.45 per cent to 23,591.95.