MUMBAI, Jan 14, 2026, 16:02 IST
- Sensex dropped 245 points, closing at 83,382.71, while Nifty edged down 66.70 points to 25,665.60. 1
- Shares in metal and PSU banks gained ground, dragging IT and auto stocks down. 1
- NSE and BSE will remain closed on Jan. 15 due to a local holiday in Maharashtra. 1
Indian stocks closed lower Wednesday following a volatile session. The Nifty slipped below 25,700, while the Sensex dropped roughly 245 points. The rupee weakened as well, finishing at 90.30 against the U.S. dollar, according to Moneycontrol. 2
The dip added to pressure on a market already struggling to attract buyers this month, as investors grapple with U.S. tariff threats and uncertainty over when an India-U.S. trade deal might materialize. “A sustained tariff row with the U.S. and related news flows are disturbing domestic market momentum,” said Amnish Aggarwal, director of institutional research at PL Capital. 3
Early cues looked weak. GIFT Nifty — offshore Nifty futures on NSE International Exchange in GIFT City — slipped roughly 25 points ahead of the open, suggesting a quiet start. India VIX, the so-called “fear index,” dipped to 11.20. 4
By the close, gains in metals and state-run lenders couldn’t make up for losses in index heavyweights. Union Bank of India surged nearly 8% on its results, and Indian Overseas Bank also climbed, but HDFC Bank and Tata Consultancy Services weighed on the market. Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments, noted that the restart of trade talks has “instilled renewed hopes,” though caution remains. 5
Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, noted that the Nifty held firm around 25,600 but kept hitting selling pressure at higher levels. “Repeated rejection near the 25,900 zone continues to cap upside,” he said, pointing out that immediate resistance remains near 25,800. 6
Risks remain messy. Dr. VK Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist at Geojit Investments, noted that Trump’s tariff threat targeting countries trading with Iran might not impact India much, since India-Iran trade is “small.” But he warned about the uncertainty ahead. “The use of tariffs as a weapon by Trump means the world is likely to suffer” a tariff-heavy trade regime “for sometime,” he said. 7
The day kicked off in the red, with traders describing the action as “non-directional” and lacking clear momentum signals. According to data cited by The Times of India, foreign portfolio investors — or FIIs — were net sellers on Tuesday, while domestic institutions stepped in as buyers. (8
