Indian stock markets tumbled on Thursday, with Sensex closing below 80,000 and Nifty below 24,000 for the first time since late November. The sell-off, driven by hawkish US Fed statements and foreign fund outflows, wiped out Rs 3.8 lakh crore in investor wealth. Selling pressure was broad-based, with ICICI Bank, Reliance, and HDFC Bank leading the decline.
Sensex suffered its worst week since June 2022, falling 4.5% due to escalating West Asia tensions and heavy foreign investor sell-offs. The market lost Rs 16.3 lakh crore in capitalization. Rising crude oil prices intensified fears of inflation, potentially delaying any rate cuts by RBI. Only the metals sector, led by JSW Steel, saw gains.