Domestic equity indices fell on Friday, halting a six-session winning streak as investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve Chair&rsquo;s upcoming speech.
The Sensex closed at 81,306.85, down 693.86 points or 0.85 per cent. The 30-share index opened lower at 81,951.48, against Thursday&rsquo;s close of 82,000.71, and hit an intra-day low of 81,291.77 amid broad-based selling.
Nifty ended at 24,870.10, down 213.65 points or 0.85 per cent.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments, said, &ldquo;The Indian equity market closed in the red, ending a six-session winning streak and erasing gains accumulated over the past three days. Investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of the U.S. Fed Chair&rsquo;s speech at the Jackson Hole symposium, which is expected to provide critical insights into the global liquidity outlook and future interest rate trajectory.&rdquo;
He added that US trade tariffs on India, used as a strategic tool against Russia, have raised near-term concerns among institutional investors.
Top Sensex losers included Asian Paints, Ultratech Cement, Tata Steel, ITC, HCL Tech, Kotak Bank, TCS, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, SBI, and ICICI Bank. Mahindra &amp; Mahindra, Maruti, and BEL also settled lower.
Most sectoral indices faced pressure. Nifty Financial Services fell 256 points (0.96 per cent), Nifty Bank dropped 606 points (1.09 per cent), Nifty FMCG dipped 565.60 points, and Nifty IT lost 283.05 points (0.79 per cent).
Broader indices were mostly range-bound. Nifty Small Cap 100 declined 46 points (0.26 per cent), Nifty Midcap 100 fell 79 points (0.14 per cent), and Nifty 100 slipped 209 points (0.82 per cent).
The rupee weakened 0.25 to settle at 87.50 after initially gaining on GST reduction news, with persistent FII selling weighing on sentiment.
Jateen Trivedi of LKP Securities noted, &ldquo;Market focus now shifts to Powell&rsquo;s speech at Jackson Hole, expected to guide the dollar index and influence rupee direction. Crude price movements and global risk sentiment will also be crucial in determining near-term trends.&rdquo;
Technically, the rupee has immediate support near 87.75, while resistance is around 87.15, indicating a volatile but range-bound trading session ahead. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

Stock Market Ends 6-Session Rally on Weak Cues

Sensex and Nifty fall as investors turn cautious ahead of US Fed Chair’s speech

Stock Market Ends 6-Session Rally on Weak Cues

Sensex and Nifty fall as investors turn cautious ahead of US Fed Chair’s speech

August 22, 2025 | 16:21 IST