Indian stock markets continued their downward trend, trading at day’s low levels during the late afternoon session, ahead of the upcoming earnings season led by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Investors overlooked comments by APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev, who highlighted vast opportunities for Indian exporters to expand their 2.4% share in the $2 trillion global agriculture trade.

Globally, Asian markets were predominantly in the red, reacting to U.S. tariff concerns, a strong dollar, and weaker-than-expected Chinese inflation data. European markets showed mixed trends, with Germany's industrial production bouncing back by 1.5% in November, surpassing forecasts of 0.5%.

Market Highlights

• BSE Sensex: Down 517.94 points (0.66%) at 77,630.55, with 10 advancing stocks against 20 decliners.
• Sectoral Indices: FMCG gained 0.79%, while Realty (-2.33%), Oil & Gas (-2.08%), and Energy (-1.81%) led the losses.
• Top Sensex Gainers: Nestle (+1.84%), Mahindra & Mahindra (+1.82%), and Hindustan Unilever (+1.51%).
• Top Sensex Losers: Tata Motors (-1.83%), HDFC Bank (-1.78%), and Larsen & Toubro (-1.70%).

The broader indices mirrored the bearish trend, with the BSE Mid Cap index down 0.67% and the Small Cap index slipping 0.88%.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan emphasized the growing demand for processed foods, advocating its potential to contribute significantly to India's economic vision of becoming a "Viksit Bharat." He stressed enhancing food safety standards and expanding the longevity of perishable items. Paswan also committed to bridging the gap between policy and industry to boost India’s role as a global food exporter.

Nifty Update
The CNX Nifty fell 164.90 points (0.70%) to 23,524.05. Among its 50 stocks, 18 gained while 32 declined. Top gainers included Nestle (+1.81%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (+1.80%), while ONGC (-3.18%) and Shriram Finance (-2.63%) led the losers.

Global Markets Snapshot

• Asia: Major indices, including Nikkei 225 (-0.95%) and Taiwan Weighted (-1.41%), were in the red, except KOSPI, which gained marginally (+0.03%).
• Europe: UK’s FTSE 100 rose 0.58%, and France’s CAC was marginally higher (+0.05%), while Germany’s DAX slipped 0.11%.

With cautious global sentiment and upcoming corporate earnings, markets are likely to remain volatile in the near term.