Market ends lower; midcaps tumble over 2%, PSU banks, industrials drag

Domestic equities closed marginally lower on Tuesday, reversing Monday’s gains, with heavy selling seen in broader markets as concerns over earnings, sectoral performance, and selective management commentary spooked investor sentiment.

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell 156 points to close at 80,641, while the broader NSE Nifty 50 dropped 82 points to 24,380, as selling intensified in the latter half of the session. The Nifty Bank index plunged 648 points to 54,271, weighed down by weak quarterly results from Bank of Baroda, which triggered a sharp decline across public sector lenders.

The broader markets underperformed sharply, with the Nifty Midcap 100 index losing 2.2% or 1,240 points to end at 54,436, reflecting risk-off sentiment beyond frontline stocks. The market breadth tilted heavily in favour of declines, with more than 30 Nifty constituents ending in the red and individual stocks falling up to 4%.
Auto stocks bucked the trend amid defensive buying, helping the Nifty Auto index close in the green.
Bank of Baroda tumbled after its Q4 earnings disappointed, leading the PSU Bank index to fall 5%, the worst-performing sector of the day. Among industrial names, CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd slumped over 6% after its Q4 headline numbers came in below analyst estimates. Cummins India Ltd dropped 5%, as weak earnings from its global parent raised concerns about future performance.

On the other hand, CCL Products (India) Ltd surged 18%, posting its biggest single-day gain in four years, after reporting a strong Q4 performance. Godrej Agrovet Ltd rose nearly 4% after Kotak Institutional Equities upgraded the stock to ‘Buy’, citing an improved outlook.

Exide Industries Ltd recovered from intraday lows to close in the green following positive management commentary during its post-earnings call.

Polycab India Ltd gained nearly 2% after its Q4 results were received positively by investors. However, Indian Hotels Co Ltd saw profit booking post-earnings and ended more than 6% lower. CAMS also fell 5% after management commentary hinted at a cautious outlook for FY26 growth.

HPCL, MGL, and Paytm fell in the range of 3%–6% ahead of their quarterly results, reflecting investor wariness.

On the currency markets, the Indian rupee ended at 84.43 per US dollar against Monday’s close of 84.25/$.