MUMBAI, Jan 14, 2026, 16:20 IST — After-hours
Indian shares slipped on Wednesday, with the Nifty 50 ending down 0.26% at 25,665.6 and the Sensex dropping 0.29% to 83,382.71. This marked seven losses in eight sessions. Weak risk appetite persisted, weighed down by worries over U.S. tariffs and ongoing foreign selling. Foreign portfolio investors have offloaded roughly $2 billion of Indian stocks this month, following a record $19 billion outflow in 2025. “Geopolitical concerns have led to an increase in business uncertainty and volatility,” said Amnish Aggarwal, director of institutional research at PL Capital. 1
Trading is set to halt on Thursday as exchanges observe a market holiday due to municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra. This pause means traders will hold positions over until Friday, skipping the usual next-day session. 2
Most sector indices slipped, with IT taking the biggest hit. Metals and state-run banks stood out, pushing higher as commodity prices gained and lenders reported earnings. The Nifty IT index dropped 1.08%, while the metal index hit a record peak, per Upstox. 3
State-owned banks took the spotlight as Union Bank of India surged 7.9%, and Indian Overseas Bank climbed 2.2% following stronger quarterly results. On the flip side, major laggards like Tata Consultancy Services, Asian Paints, and Maruti Suzuki weighed down the indexes. 4
Union Bank posted a 9% increase in net profit to 5,017 crore rupees for the December quarter. Gross bad loans fell to 3.06%, while net bad loans dropped to 0.51%. Traders took the filing as a clean scorecard. 5
Indian Overseas Bank’s quarterly net profit surged 56% to 1,365 crore rupees, driven by an 18% rise in net interest income. The strong results have bolstered the state-owned lender, holding steady even as broader market indexes drift lower. 6
Tata Elxsi’s latest quarter highlighted a persistent drag on the IT sector: one-off costs from India’s revamped labour codes. The company reported a 45.3% drop in profit, hammered by a one-time charge related to employee benefit provisions. The new rules, which came into effect in November, mandate that wages comprise at least half of total compensation and raise benefit expenses tied to wages, including provident fund and gratuity. 7
Infosys threw a late curveball after markets closed. The IT giant posted a 2% drop in net profit year-on-year, down to 6,654 crore rupees. Revenue, on the other hand, climbed 9% to 45,479 crore rupees. This split fuels ongoing debate over whether margins are under pressure despite solid demand. 8
The company lifted its FY26 revenue growth forecast to 3%-3.5%, up from the previous 2%-3%, Moneycontrol reports. That upward revision has put the spotlight on guidance, not just the quarterly numbers, in Thursday’s after-hours conversation.
There’s a clearer downside route as well. If tariff tensions drag on or FPI selling picks up again, the Nifty could slip back toward 25,600. Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, warns that a solid break below this mark “could open the door for further weakness toward 25,500–25,450.” 9
Markets reopen Friday, Jan. 16. Traders will focus on new developments around India-U.S. trade timing, fallout from Iran-related tensions, and if bank and IT earnings can stem the selling pressure hitting the index heavyweights.
