Indian Stock Markets Roundup: March 3, 2025

The Indian stock markets closed sharply lower after a volatile trading session driven by broad-based selling and global tariff concerns. The BSE Sensex ended the day at 73,085.94, down 112.16 points or 0.15%, while the NSE Nifty 50 settled at 22,119.30, declining 5.40 points or 0.02%. Broader market indices underperformed significantly, with the BSE MidCap index tumbling 2.1% and the BSE SmallCap index dropping 2.3%, marking their fourth straight session of losses amid a deepening market correction.

Key Highlights:

Market Sentiment: The session opened weak, with GIFT Nifty trading around 22,370 earlier, signaling a positive start that quickly faded. The India VIX spiked 6.3% to 15.54, reflecting heightened fear as Nifty hit a nine-month low, per X posts. Sentiment was dented by tariff woes and a late selloff in IT and metal stocks.
Top Gainers: Mahindra & Mahindra led the Nifty 50, rising 2.74% to ₹2,725.95, buoyed by strong auto sales data for February. Bharti Airtel gained 2.44% to approximately ₹1,620, supported by ongoing merger talks with Tata Play, and Bajaj Finance rose 1.64%.
Top Losers: Reliance Industries dragged the indices, falling 2.8% to an unspecified level, alongside Coal India (down 2.5%) and Bajaj Auto (down 2.3%). Nifty IT slumped 2.7%, with TCS and Infosys among key losers, per Moneycontrol updates.
Sectoral Performance: Sectoral indices were largely negative. Nifty IT fell 2.7%, Nifty Metal dropped 2.2%, and Nifty Financial Services shed 1.8%, hit by global slowdown fears. Nifty Auto bucked the trend, up 1.1%, driven by M&M and Maruti Suzuki gains.
FII and DII Activity: Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold shares worth ₹4,200 crore (provisional), pushing February-March outflows past ₹47,349 crore, per The Economic Times. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought ₹3,900 crore worth, softening the blow but not reversing the slide.

Notable Corporate Updates:

Bharti Airtel: Shares rose amid continued buzz over its February 26 statement confirming talks to merge Tata Play with Bharti Telemedia, with analysts on X eyeing a potential 50%+ DTH market share if finalized.
Maruti Suzuki: Gained traction after reporting a 9% rise in February sales (197,471 units), supporting auto sector resilience, per Live Mint.
Inox India: Extended gains after its IATF 16949 certification, though broader industrial stocks weakened.

Market Context:

The sharp decline aligned with global jitters, as U.S. markets faced pressure from tariff threats and a slowing economy, per Moneycontrol. Domestically, relentless FII selling, a rupee at record lows, and weak Q3 earnings growth fueled the rout. The Sensex has shed over 4,000 points in February, erasing ₹40 lakh crore in market cap.