Indian benchmark indices close lower as Sensex falls 548 points

MUMBAI, 12 October 2026 — Indian equity benchmarks closed lower on Monday after early gains gave way to selling across most sectors. The BSE Sensex fell 547.65 points, or 0.76 percent, to 71,924.68. The NSE Nifty 50 dropped 157.10 points, or 0.70 percent, to 22,363.35.

Among Nifty constituents, ITC declined 3.23 percent, Tech Mahindra fell 3.10 percent, Hindustan Unilever slipped 2.10 percent, Larsen & Toubro lost 1.87 percent and State Bank of India dropped 1.78 percent. Gainers included Bharat Electronics, up 1.38 percent, Mahindra & Mahindra, up 0.84 percent, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, up 0.66 percent. Auto, media and realty indices finished higher while FMCG, information technology and public-sector banks lagged.

Traders cited mixed global cues, including volatile oil prices linked to developments in the Middle East and Ukraine, and continued domestic focus on inflation readings. The Reserve Bank of India has maintained its policy stance in recent meetings while monitoring food-price pressures. No major domestic policy announcement moved the market on Monday.

Foreign portfolio investors have reduced net purchases in recent sessions. Domestic institutional investors provided some support, but not enough to offset the broader decline. Trading volumes were moderate. The rupee held steady against the dollar in the same session.

For portfolio managers the session reinforced a familiar pattern: large-cap indices remain sensitive to global risk sentiment even when domestic growth indicators stay stable. For retail investors the concrete numbers are the closing levels and the sector split. FMCG and technology names, which had led earlier in the year, absorbed the heaviest selling. The next data points that markets will watch are the weekly inflation print and any further movement in crude prices.