FX.co ★ Sensex Closes Marginally Down

India’s BSE Sensex slipped nearly 20 points to close at 74,295 on Friday, mirroring cautious global sentiment after the US Federal Reserve delivered its first interest-rate hike in more than three years and signalled further increases later this year. The move stoked concerns over potential foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows, while geopolitical tensions remained elevated. At the same time, robust ongoing IPO activity continued to exert pressure on the broader market.

Tata Group stocks led the declines, with TCS, Titan and Tata Steel falling between 1.7% and 4.3%, amid renewed uncertainty over the conglomerate’s control structure and leadership. Other major laggards included Asian Paints (-2%), Maruti (-2%), Tech Mahindra (-1.8%), Sun Pharma (-1.6%) and NTPC (-1.6%).

In contrast, Adani Ports outperformed, rising 3.8% after global brokerage Jefferies pointed to multiple growth drivers across the group’s infrastructure and energy businesses. Over the week, the Sensex slipped about 0.7%.