Kamal Ghorui
The combined market valuation of six of the top-10 most valued firms eroded by more than Rs 3 lakh crore last week, with IT majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys emerging as the biggest laggards amid a bearish trend in equities.The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 953.64 points, or 1.14 per cent, during the week.Besides TCS and Infosys, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), and Bharti Airtel faced erosion in their valuations. In contrast, State Bank of India (SBI), Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro and ICICI Bank were the gainers.
IT majors take the biggest hit
TCS saw its market valuation tumble by Rs 90,198.92 crore to Rs 9,74,043.43 crore, while Infosys’ valuation eroded by Rs 70,780.23 crore to Rs 5,55,287.72 crore.HDFC Bank’s market capitalisation declined by Rs 54,627.71 crore to Rs 13,93,621.92 crore. Reliance Industries’ valuation plunged Rs 41,883 crore to Rs 19,21,475.79 crore.LIC’s market capitalisation dropped Rs 23,971.74 crore to Rs 5,46,226.80 crore, while Bharti Airtel’s valuation declined Rs 19,244.61 crore to Rs 11,43,044.03 crore.On the other hand, SBI’s valuation jumped Rs 1,22,213.38 crore to Rs 11,06,566.44 crore.Bajaj Finance added Rs 26,414.44 crore, taking its market cap to Rs 6,37,244.64 crore, while Larsen & Toubro’s valuation increased Rs 14,483.9 crore to Rs 5,74,028.93 crore. ICICI Bank’s market capitalisation rose Rs 5,719.95 crore to Rs 10,11,978.77 crore.Reliance Industries remained the most valued firm, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, SBI, ICICI Bank, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Infosys and LIC.
Broad-based selloff weighs on markets
The erosion in market capitalisation came amid a broader selloff in equities. On Friday, the Sensex tumbled 1,048.16 points, or 1.25 per cent, to close at 82,626.76, while the NSE Nifty plunged 336.10 points, or 1.30 per cent, to settle at 25,471.10.On a weekly basis, the Nifty declined 222.6 points, or 0.86 per cent.The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms eroded by Rs 7,02,017.71 crore to Rs 4,65,46,643.20 crore ($5.13 trillion).Weak global cues, a softer earnings season and emerging pressure on technology stocks amid concerns over AI-led disruption dampened sentiment, traders said.Siddhartha Khemka, head of research, wealth management at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said the benchmarks nosedived following weaker-than-expected results and continued pressure in technology stocks.“The Nifty IT index touched a 10-month low during the session before closing 1.4 per cent lower, even as selective buying helped it recover from intraday lows. The sector continues to face headwinds amid rising concerns that rapid AI advancements could disrupt traditional service models and weigh on future revenue visibility,” he noted, as quoted by news agency PTI.Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments Limited, said sentiment gains from the US-India trade deal have faded as renewed AI-driven disruption fears weigh on risk appetite.“Markets worry that Indian IT firms dependent on the labour arbitrage model may face tougher competitive pressure than their Nasdaq peers,” he said, as per PTI.Sectorally, metal stocks led the decline, falling 3.21 per cent, followed by Realty and Commodities (2.27 per cent each), Utilities (2.26 per cent), Energy (1.94 per cent), Oil & Gas (1.86 per cent), Power (1.85 per cent), FMCG (1.74 per cent) and Services (1.72 per cent).Foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 108.42 crore on Thursday, while domestic institutional investors were net buyers of Rs 276.85 crore, according to exchange data.Overall, last week’s sharp erosion in the valuations of IT heavyweights, coupled with broad-based selling pressure, weighed on the top-10 most valued firms even as select banking and financial stocks bucked the trend.
