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Markets trade lower in early deals
Feb-05-2026

Indian equity benchmarks made flat-to-negative start on Thursday and soon extended their losses, following broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight as well as weakness in Asian counterparts, amid focus shifted to the Russia-Ukraine peace talks that began in the U.A.E. and the upcoming U.S.-Iran talks in Oman. Markets were trading lower in early deals with Sensex and Nifty falling around half a percent each amid selling pressure in metal stocks on profit booking after the recent rally and fall in gold, silver, and base metals prices triggered the correction. Traders avoided to take significant risk ahead of RBI interest rate announcement on Friday. Meanwhile, India and the six-nation bloc of Middle Eastern nations, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), will ink terms of reference on February 5 for starting talks for a free trade agreement (FTA). 

In stock specific development, InterGlobe Aviation came under pressure amid reports that the Competition Commission of India ordered a detailed investigation into the company for alleged abuse of dominance following large-scale flight cancellations in December 2025 and the consequent surge in airfares across domestic routes.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 83437.69, down by 380.00 points or 0.45% after trading in a range of 83420.22 and 83784.17. There were 6 stocks advancing against 24 stocks declining on the index.

The only gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Oil & Gas up by 0.38% and FMCG up by 0.09%, while Metal down by 2.02%, Capital Goods down by 1.80%, Realty down by 1.44%, Consumer Durables down by 1.28% and Basic Materials down by 1.25% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Hindustan Unilever up by 1.12%, SBI up by 0.18%, Infosys up by 0.14%, ICICI Bank up by 0.09% and NTPC up by 0.07%. On the flip side, Interglobe Aviation down by 1.91%, Bharat Electronics down by 1.54%, Axis Bank down by 1.33%, Eternal down by 1.26% and Tata Steel down by 1.15% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, in order to gain respect on the world stage, Former NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar has said that India needs to grow faster and increase its share in global trade. He noted that a robust economy forms the foundation of a strong foreign policy, and economic strength decides a country's position in global politics.

He pointed to China, the world's second largest economy, as an example of how economic growth brings global influence. He said currently, China is leading in 47 out of 53 frontier technologies. That is what gives China the ability to stand up to the US. He highlighted that countries which are weak economically are not taken seriously on the global stage.

Calling global share impact factor, he said that in global merchandise, India’s share has remained below 2% for the last three decades, a figure he described as inadequate for meaningful global influence. He noted that this is one of India's biggest economic challenges. He mentioned that if the country can make it to 10%, then it will have a role on the global stage. 

In the services sector, India's global share stands at around 4%. He stressed that ambitions for global leadership must be backed by a much stronger economic base. About India-US relations amid global policy transitions under the Donald Trump administration, he advised patience and firmness in safeguarding national interests.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25635.15, down by 140.85 points or 0.55% after trading in a range of 25633.85 and 25757.65. There were 10 stocks advancing against 40 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Hindustan Unilever up by 1.05%, JIO Financial Services up by 0.52%, ONGC up by 0.47%, Infosys up by 0.35% and Wipro up by 0.24%. On the flip side, Hindalco down by 3.02%, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles down by 2.68%, Shriram Finance down by 2.53%, Interglobe Aviation down by 2.08% and Bharat Electronics down by 1.87% were the top losers.

Asian markets are trading mostly in red; Nikkei 225 slipped 521.36 points or 0.96% to 53,772.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 439.45 points or 1.36% to 31,850.36, Hang Seng declined 366.32 points or 1.36% to 26,481.00, KOSPI dropped 202.38 points or 3.77% to 5,168.72, Shanghai Composite weakened 42.29 points or 1.03% to 4,059.91 and Straits Times fell 10.37 points or 0.21% to 4,955.13, while Jakarta Composite was up by 13.75 points or 0.17% to 8,160.47.
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