Sensex, Nifty slip ahead of US Fed decision

MUMBAI — Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower on Wednesday as investors stayed cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision due later in the day.

The Sensex fell 275.01 points, or 0.32 per cent, to finish at 84,391.27. The Nifty also slipped 81.65 points, or 0.32 per cent, to settle at 25,758.

“Structurally, Nifty continues to face strong supply in the 25,940–26,050 zone, keeping the broader setup range-bound to mildly bullish,” market watchers said.

“A decisive breakout above 26,000 remains essential to revive upside momentum. On the downside, a sustained break below 25,700 could expose the index to 25,600–25,500, with volatility expected to intensify near these support clusters,” they added.

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Bank Nifty also ended marginally lower -- indicating a pause in the prevailing uptrend rather than a trend reversal.

The index opened near 59,280, moved up to 59,440, but later slipped to an intra-day low of 58,850 before closing around 58,990, down nearly 0.4 per cent.

Among the Sensex stocks, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma and ITC were the top performers. On the other hand, Eternal, Trent and Bharti Airtel dragged the index down with notable losses.

The mood was weak in the broader market as well. The Nifty MidCap 100 index declined 1.12 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap 100 index shed 0.90 per cent by the close.

Sector-wise, consumer durables stocks saw the sharpest fall, with the Nifty Consumer Durables index tumbling 1.72 per cent.

IT and PSU bank shares also slipped, down 0.89 per cent and 0.70 per cent, respectively.

In contrast, Nifty Metal and Nifty Media indices ended the day on a positive note, emerging as the top sectoral gainers.