Stock Market Today: Sensex, Nifty 50 Drop 1% - 10 Key Updates

Indian equities witnessed a sharp selloff on Tuesday, August 26, wiping out nearly ₹6 lakh crore of investor wealth in a single session. Both frontline and broader markets slipped over 1 per cent each as selling pressure gripped the Street.

The Sensex tumbled 849 points, or 1.04 per cent, to close at 80,786.54, while the Nifty 50 dropped 256 points, or 1.02 per cent, to settle at 24,712.05. Broader indices saw deeper cuts, with the BSE Midcap down 1.34 per cent and the Smallcap index plunging 1.68 per cent.

Market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies fell to about ₹449 lakh crore from Monday’s ₹455 lakh crore, marking a massive erosion of wealth in a single day.

Indian Stock Market: 10 Key Highlights

1. Why did the market fall today?

Indian equities came under heavy selling pressure after the US administration issued a draft notice proposing tariffs of up to 50% on Indian exports.

According to a notification from the US Department of Homeland Security, the new levies will apply to Indian goods“that are entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 AM eastern daylight time on August 27, 2025.”

"Domestic market sentiment turned cautious as the US penalty tariff deadline expires tomorrow. The persistent depreciation of the Indian rupee is adding pressure and may further impact foreign institutional inflows," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments.

He added, "Investors are closely monitoring the Government of India’s efforts to support economic growth, including proposed GST rate revisions and sector-specific relief measures for industries affected by higher tariffs."

2. Top losers in the Nifty 50

Out of 50 stocks, 41 closed in the red. Shriram Finance led the decline with a 4.03% drop, followed by Sun Pharma slipping 3.35% and Tata Steel losing 2.87%.

3. Top gainers in the Nifty 50

Eicher Motors rose 2.68%, Hindustan Unilever added 2.32%, and Maruti Suzuki advanced 1.85%, emerging as the session’s top performers.

4. Sectoral indices today

Except for Nifty FMCG, which gained 0.91% on hopes of stronger demand from proposed GST reforms, all major sectoral indices closed in the red.

Nifty Realty, Consumer Durables, Oil & Gas, Healthcare, PSU Bank, and Metal indices slumped nearly 2% each. Nifty Bank slipped 1.25%, while the Financial Services index fell 1.35%.

5. Most active stocks by volume

Vodafone Idea led the charts with 138.1 crore shares traded, followed by Ola Electric Mobility at 47.1 crore and Eternal at 43.8 crore shares on the NSE.

6. Eight stocks crash over 10% on BSE

Eight BSE-listed stocks, including Novateor Research Laboratories, Vision Cinemas, Sayaji Hotels (Pune), NPR Finance, and Gujarat State Financial Corporation, plunged more than 10%.

In contrast, 14 counters such as Gorani Industries, Reliable Data Services, Shakti Press, Titan Biotech, and Nexus Surgical bucked the trend, rallying over 10%.

7. Advance-decline ratio

On the BSE, out of 4,241 traded stocks, 1,220 advanced, 2,891 declined, and 130 remained unchanged.

8. 103 stocks hit 52-week lows

A total of 103 stocks touched fresh 52-week lows, including Petronet LNG, Jindal Saw, AAVAS Financiers, and Five-Star Business Finance.

9. 101 stocks hit 52-week highs

Despite the market selloff, 101 stocks scaled fresh 52-week highs, including Maruti Suzuki India, Eicher Motors, Max Financial Services, FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa), and UNO Minda.

10. Nifty’s technical outlook

Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, noted that Tuesday’s fall dragged the Nifty 50 below its crucial 50-day EMA, while the RSI slipped into a bearish crossover, signaling weakening momentum.

"In the short term, the index is likely to remain under selling pressure as long as it trades below 24,850. On the downside, the correction could extend towards 24,150 or lower," De said.