The Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened lower on Friday, August 1, 2025, amid a decline in Gifty Nifty and heightened volatility and weak global cues. The 30-share BSE Sensex dipped 111.17 points to start the session at 81,074.41, and the Nifty fell 33.45 points to open at 24,734.90. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 81,185.58 and the Nifty 50 at 24,768.35. The broader indices traded in a mixed manner in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap was up by 41.13 points in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap index dipped 62.38 points or 0.12 per cent to trade at 53,362.91.
From the Sensex pack, Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, Maruti, ITC, Trent were among the major gainers, with Hindustan Unilever leading the pack by surging 4.39 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Sun Pharma, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, Tata Steel were among the laggards, with Sun Pharma falling 3.63 per cent in the opening trade.
In early trade, 1,033 stocks in the Nifty pack were trading in the green, while 1,039 were trading in the red. 106 stocks remained unchanged.
"Overall, the broader market undertone remains cautiously bullish, but close monitoring of key levels and global developments remains essential," said Hardik Matalia, Derivative Analyst - Research at Choice Equity Broking Private Limited.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative start as it opened 114 points lower at 24,722.50, compared to the previous close of 24,836.50.
Meanwhile, the selling by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued for the ninth consecutive session on Wednesday, July 30. They offloaded equities worth Rs 5,588 crore. On the other hand, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained buyers for the 19th consecutive session, purchasing equities worth Rs 6,372 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Meanwhile, Asian markets slipped on Friday following a choppy day of trading on Wall Street. While Japan's Nikkei 225 shed 169.82 points, or 0.41 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 110.33 points or 0.45 per cent. Similarly, South Korea's Kospi traded in the red with a fall of 108.75 points. On the other hand, Shanghai's SSE Composite index fell 6.66 points or 0.19 per cent.
How did individual sectors perform?
All major Nifty sectoral indices traded in the red today, except Nifty FMCG and Nifty Realty, which were up by 1.56 per cent and 0.08 per cent, respectively. While Nifty IT was down by 0.50 per cent in the opening session, the Nifty Metal index shed 0.37 per cent, the Nifty Pharma fell 1.52 per cent.
