FX.co ★ Sensex Finishes on Negative Note

India’s BSE Sensex ended Friday about 0.6% lower at 78,499.2, snapping a two-day winning streak as higher oil prices and weakness in heavyweight financial stocks weighed on the market. Investor sentiment stayed cautious amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainty over the prospects of a US–Iran agreement.

Bajaj Finance led the declines, tumbling 5.9% after a draft RBI proposal raised concerns about possible curbs on certain revolving credit products. Other major laggards included Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Trent, Bharti Airtel and Eternal.

In contrast, technology shares advanced, with gains led by Tata Consultancy Services (up 3.5%), Tech Mahindra (0.9%), Infosys (0.7%) and HCLTech (0.6%). State Bank of India climbed about 1% after posting a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, supported by solid loan growth.

Despite Friday’s pullback, the Sensex still finished the week up 0.5%.