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EQUITY
Key gauges end lower on weak global cues
Dec-16-2025

Indian equity benchmarks ended over half percent lower on Tuesday as persistent foreign fund outflows, a weak rupee and sluggish global market trends dented investor sentiment. Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 1,468.32 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.

Some of the important factors in trade:

India, US close to trade deal: Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said India and the US are ‘very close’ to finalising the framework for their proposed bilateral trade agreement and noted that both nations are actively engaged in negotiations. 

Business activity in India’s private sector slows to 10-month low in December: The flash data showed the HSBC India Composite PMI fell to 58.9 in December 2025 from a final 59.7 in the prior month. It was the lowest reading since February, due to softer growth across manufacturing and service sectors.

Unemployment rate falls to 7-month low of 4.7% in November: Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons aged 15 years and above declined to a record low of 4.7 per cent in November 2025, compared to 5.2 per cent in the previous month of October 2025.

Rupee hits new all-time low against dollar: Indian rupee weakened further to settle at a new all-time low against the greenback, weighed down by relentless foreign fund outflows, no breakthrough in India-US trade deal, and persistent US dollar buying.

Global front: Asian markets settled mostly down as investors awaited crucial U.S. jobs and inflation readings for additional clues on the Fed's rate trajectory in the new year. European markets were trading mostly lower as the HCOB Flash Eurozone Composite PMI fell to 51.9 in December, its lowest level in three months, down from 52.8 in November. 

Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 533.50 points or 0.63% to 84,679.86 and the CNX Nifty was down by 167.20 points or 0.64% to 25,860.10.       

The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 85,059.96 and 84,620.61 respectively. There were 7 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining on the index.  

The broader indices ended in red; the BSE Mid cap index fell 0.78%, while Small cap index was down by 0.69%.

The few gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Telecom up by 0.69% and Consumer Durables up by 0.51%, while Realty down by 1.36%, Bankex down by 1.03%, PSU down by 0.93%, Basic Materials down by 0.91% and IT down by 0.90% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Titan Company up by 1.60%, Bharti Airtel up by 1.44%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 0.45%, Asian Paints up by 0.35% and Trent up by 0.11%. On the flip side, Axis Bank down by 5.03%, Eternal down by 4.69%, HCL Technologies down by 1.90%, Bajaj Finserv down by 1.86% and Tata Steel down by 1.74% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India has said that Engineering goods exports surged 23.71 per cent to $11.01 billion in November 2025 as compared to $8.90 billion in November 2024, despite tariff headwinds. Moreover, it stated cumulatively, engineering exports rose 4.25 per cent year-on-year to $79.74 billion during April-November in FY26.

EEPC India Chairman Pankaj Chadha said that engineering goods exports’ performance was positive in November 2025 even as the 50 per cent punitive tariff imposed by the Donald Trump administration continues to impact a large part of India's export basket. Further, he sated the strong performance in November shows the resilience of the Indian engineering industry and its ability to adapt quickly to a challenging global trade environment, with continued support from government intervention. 

Besides, he said that Engineering Industry is hopeful about diversifying export markets, aided by several trade agreements currently under negotiation, which are expected to help Indian engineering exporters expand their global footprint. Moreover, he said that the industry is awaiting final guidelines for the Rs 25,060-crore Export Promotion Mission, which is expected to boost exports further.

CNX Nifty touched high and low of 25,980.75 and 25,834.35 respectively. There were 11 stocks advancing against 39 stocks declining on the index.    

The top gainers on Nifty were Bharti Airtel up by 1.70%, Titan Company up by 1.65%, Tata Consumer Product up by 1.26%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 0.58% and Bajaj Auto up by 0.55%. On the flip side, Axis Bank down by 5.12%, Eternal down by 4.67%, JSW Steel down by 2.66%, HCL Technologies down by 1.91% and Tata Steel down by 1.78% were the top losers.

European markets were trading mostly lower; UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 47.31 points or 0.49% to 9,704.00 and France’s CAC fell 13.98 points or 0.17% to 8,110.90, while Germany’s DAX gained 4.39 points or 0.02% to 24,234.30.

Asian markets settled mostly down on Tuesday tracking Wall Street’s fall overnight ahead of key US economic data including delayed jobs and inflation readings that could provide additional clues on the Fed's rate trajectory in the new year, while AI spending worries continued to weigh major tech names like Broadcom (AVGO) and Oracle (ORCL). Kospi index fell below the 4,000-point threshold as foreign investors dumped about 1.4 trillion won worth of shares in the domestic stock market alone and putting heavy pressure on the index. Chinese and Kong shares fell sharply as mounting economic growth concerns and the absence of strong policy support in China pressured the market. Japanese shares tumbled below the 50,000-mark, while the yen strengthened amid bets of a Bank of Japan rate increase later this week. Investors also digested Japan’s December PMI data showing a modest cooling in overall momentum.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

3,824.81

-43.11

-1.11

Hang Seng

25,235.41

-393.47

-1.54

Jakarta Composite

8,686.47

36.81

0.42

KLSE Composite

1,648.31

4.59

0.28

Nikkei 225

49,383.29

-784.82

-1.56

Straits Times

4,579.73

-9.44

-0.21

KOSPI Composite

3,999.13

-91.46

-2.29

Taiwan Weighted

27,536.66

-330.28

-1.19
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