FX.co ★ Sensex Finishes Marginally Down

India’s BSE Sensex ended slightly lower on Friday at 78,009.25, its weakest close since July 30, giving up the previous session’s gains. Sentiment remained cautious amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, elevated crude oil prices, and renewed foreign portfolio outflows.

On the upside, Bharti Airtel was the top performer, gaining 2.5%, followed by Adani Ports, which rose 1.8%. ICICI Bank and Titan each added 0.6%, while M&M advanced 0.4% and HDFC Bank edged up 0.1%.

Among the laggards, Asian Paints fell 1.7%, making it the session’s biggest decliner. IndiGo slipped 1.4%, NTPC lost 1.2%, Power Grid retreated 1.1% and Tech Mahindra declined 0.9%. Reliance Industries eased 0.6%, pressured in part by MSCI’s move to cut its weight in the benchmark index in its latest periodic review.

For the week, the Sensex registered a loss of roughly 0.6%.