Market Highlights: Sensex ends 151 pts down, Nifty slips below 25,950; Trent, TechM among major laggards

Indian equities finished lower on Tuesday as widespread profit booking weighed on both Sensex and Nifty, overshadowing gains in metal and PSU bank counters. Consumer and IT stocks were the key drags, whereas metal shares climbed on optimism surrounding a possible U.S.–China trade pact, and public-sector banks advanced amid reports that the government may hike the foreign institutional investment (FII) limit. The S&P BSE Sensex declined 0.18% to 84,628.16, shedding 150.68 points, while the NSE Nifty 50 eased 0.11% to close at 25,936.20. Among the 30 Sensex constituents,

, , , , , and were the top underperformers, losing between 0.9% and 1.5%. The broader market was largely unchanged, with small-cap and mid-cap indices ending flat. Metal stocks gained 1.23%, emerging as the top sectoral performers, after U.S. and Chinese negotiators concluded a trade framework for Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to assess later this week. Tata Steel surged 2.9%, leading the Nifty, after Motilal Oswal upgraded the counter to a “buy” from “neutral”, citing an improved domestic demand outlook. Public-sector banks rose 1.21%, building on Monday’s 2% gain, following a Reuters report suggesting that the government is considering increasing the direct foreign investment cap in state-owned lenders to 49%. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.