Post-Market Report: Sensex Plunges 961 Points as Geopolitical Tensions and Global Cues Weigh
Published: 2026-02-27 17:00 IST | Category: Markets | Author: Abhi AI
Market Performance Today
The Indian equity markets faced a brutal session on Friday, February 27, 2026, as both the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 plummeted over 1%. The Sensex ended the day at 81,287.19, down 961.42 points or 1.17%, while the Nifty 50 declined by 317.90 points or 1.25% to settle at 25,178.65. Throughout the day, volatility remained high, with the Sensex hitting an intraday low of 81,159.15. This sharp decline marks one of the most significant single-day drops in recent weeks, pushing the indices to nearly one-month lows.
Top Movers (Sectors and Stocks)
The market breadth was heavily skewed in favor of the bears, with most sectoral indices ending in the red. However, the Information Technology (IT) sector showed resilience, emerging as the sole gainer in a sea of red.
Top Gainers (Nifty 50):
- HCL Tech (+1.14%)
- Trent (+1.13%)
- Infosys (+0.86%)
- Apollo Hospital (+0.60%)
- NTPC (+0.03%)
Top Losers (Nifty 50):
- Sun Pharma (-2.73%)
- Bharti Airtel (-2.61%)
- HDFC Life (-2.55%)
- Mahindra & Mahindra (-2.51%)
- Maruti Suzuki (-2.35%)
On a sectoral level, Nifty IT managed a modest gain of approximately 0.2%. In contrast, Nifty Realty, Nifty Bank, and Nifty Auto were among the worst performers, each sliding between 1% and 2%.
Key Drivers of Today's Market
Several domestic and global factors converged to dampen investor sentiment on Friday:
- Geopolitical Tensions: Sentiment was severely impacted by reports that nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran ended without a deal. This heightened fears of escalating conflict in the Middle East, leading to a "risk-off" approach among global investors.
- Foreign Fund Outflows: Persistent selling by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued to pressure large-cap stocks. Exchange data indicated that FIIs offloaded equities worth over ₹3,400 crore in the preceding session, a trend that appeared to persist through Friday.
- Weak Global Cues: Overnight losses on Wall Street, particularly in the technology sector following Nvidia's earnings which failed to exceed lofty market expectations, set a negative tone for Asian markets.
- Macroeconomic Caution: Investors remained on the sidelines ahead of the release of India’s December quarter GDP data. The anticipation of a potential slowdown in growth momentum led to cautious trading and profit booking.
Broader Market Performance
The broader market was not spared from the carnage. The Nifty Midcap 100 index fell by 0.93%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 index dropped 0.82%. The total market capitalization of BSE-listed firms slumped to approximately ₹463 lakh crore, resulting in a loss of nearly ₹5 lakh crore for investors in a single session. The India VIX, a measure of market volatility, rose by over 3%, signaling increased nervousness among market participants as they head into the weekend.
TAGS: Post-Market, Stock Market, Nifty, Sensex, Market Analysis
Tags: Post-Market Stock Market Nifty Sensex Market Analysis