Kamal Ghorui
Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmarks, dropped in opening trade on Tuesday. While Nifty50 was near 25,000, BSE Sensex was down over 170 points. At 9:17 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 25,017.50, down 31 points or 0.12%. BSE Sensex was at 81,361.12, down 177 points or 0.22%.Last week, Indian equities remained under pressure as weak technical signals, mixed global cues and rupee depreciation concerns weighed on sentiment. Analysts warned that near-term weakness could persist after the benchmark index slipped below key support levels.Commenting on market action, Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said the Nifty continued to trade below its 20-hour exponential moving average on Friday, indicating sustained weakness. He noted that the index also closed below the 200-day moving average, signalling that bulls had failed to defend an important long-term support.“As a result, short- to medium-term sentiment is likely to remain weak as long as the index trades below 25,500. On the downside, the decline could extend toward 24,700 in the short term,” De said.Wall Street ended higher overnight, with both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq extending gains for a fourth straight session as investors positioned themselves ahead of key earnings from large technology companies and an upcoming Federal Reserve policy announcement.Asian markets, however, traded lower after renewed tariff concerns emerged. Sentiment weakened after President Donald Trump threatened to increase tariffs on South Korean goods.On the domestic institutional front, foreign institutional investors were net buyers on Friday, purchasing equities worth Rs 4,113.38 crore. Domestic institutional investors also remained positive, with net purchases of Rs 4,102.56 crore.Meanwhile, pressure on the rupee added to market unease. The local currency recently touched a record low of 92 against the US dollar on January 23, a move expected to raise the cost of imports such as crude oil, electronics, overseas education and foreign travel. The weaker rupee could also intensify inflationary pressures, though exporters may see some benefit.So far this month, the rupee has depreciated by 202 paise, or more than 2 per cent. In 2025, the currency had already fallen 5 per cent amid persistent foreign fund outflows and a strong US dollar.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
