Local stock indices traded in red during the late afternoon session, impacted by concerns over India’s widening trade deficit and rising inflation. The trade deficit swelled to $27.14 billion in October from $20.8 billion in September, as import growth outpaced exports. Additionally, October's wholesale price index (WPI) inflation rose to 2.36%, up from September's 1.84%, driven by higher prices in food items, crude oil, natural gas, and electricity.

Global markets showed mixed trends: Asian stocks mostly traded lower as Federal Reserve officials highlighted inflation risks, while European stocks traded mostly positive in anticipation of upcoming Eurozone growth data. However, bond yields spiked amid inflationary concerns tied to Trump’s policies.

The BSE Sensex was down 78.79 points or 0.10% at 77,612.16, fluctuating between 77,424.81 and 78,055.52, with 24 stocks declining and 6 advancing. Broader market indices traded in green, with the BSE Mid Cap index up 0.39% and the Small Cap index rising by 0.83%.

Leading gainers in the BSE sectoral indices included Realty up by 0.94%, Consumer Discretionary by 0.69%, Auto by 0.48%, Telecom by 0.47%, and Healthcare by 0.31%. Conversely, FMCG dropped by 1.17%, Utilities by 0.67%, PSU by 0.66%, Oil & Gas by 0.39%, and Power by 0.27%.

On the Sensex, top performers were Reliance Industries (up 1.53%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (up 1.17%), HDFC Bank (up 1.00%), Tech Mahindra (up 0.74%), and Asian Paints (up 0.44%). Major decliners included Hindustan Unilever (down 2.51%), Power Grid (down 2.01%), NTPC (down 2.01%), Adani Ports (down 1.72%), and Nestle (down 1.54%).

The Nifty 50 also traded lower, slipping 25.30 points or 0.11% to 23,533.75, with 17 stocks advancing and 33 declining. Top gainers on Nifty were Eicher Motors, up 5.68%, and Hero MotoCorp, up 1.85%.

In Asia, markets were largely in red as Hang Seng fell 1.99%, Nikkei 225 dropped 0.48%, and Shanghai Composite lost 1.76%. European indices mostly gained, with France’s CAC rising by 0.24% and Germany’s DAX by 0.65%, while the UK’s FTSE 100 slipped slightly by 0.02%.

WPI inflation saw a jump in October as food prices and crude oil pushed the primary articles index up by 2.35% from the previous month. However, the Fuel & Power index saw a slight decline, while manufactured products, a significant part of WPI, rose by 0.49%.