Sideways trading ahead of US Fed decision

Mumbai : Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower on Monday as investors turned cautious ahead of the US Fed interest rate decision amid weak global cues. Besides, selling pressure in metal and IT counters amid a weak rupee and sluggish Chinese economic data hit investors’ sentiment, traders said. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex declined 384.55 points or 0.47 per cent to settle at 81,748.57. During the day, it dropped 581.84 points or 0.70 per cent to 81,551.28. The NSE Nifty lost by 100.05 points or 0.40 per cent to 24,668.25.

“Domestic equities took cues from Asian and European indices and ended negative, as investors await the outcome of the US FOMC meeting on rate decision later this week. Although a rate cut is on the cards, there is a lack of confidence amongst the investors due to the sluggish Chinese economy and concerns ahead of Trump’s decision on import tariffs on key economies. There is heightened action in the primary markets, with five IPO listings and seven new IPOs opening for subscription in this week,” said Prashanth Tapse, senior V-P (research), Mehta Equities Ltd.

Among sectoral indices, metal dropped by 0.95 per cent, teck fell by 0.82 per cent, oil & gas (0.75%), BSE Focused IT (0.74 per cent) and utilities (0.63%). Realty surged 3.17 per cent, consumer discretionary (0.69%), consumer durables (0.50%), capital goods (0.38%) and healthcare (0.22%) were the gainers.

“The national market traded in a range-bound manner, while the realty sector outperformed in expectation of growing demand and a potential rate cut cycle in 2025. Rising US 10-year bond yields and a strengthening dollar led investors to remain watchful of the upcoming US Fed policy and its commentary for 2025 rates,” added Vinod Nair, head (research), Geojit Financial Services.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 2,335.32 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.

“The Nifty Metal index dropped pressured by weak global prices and concerns over US-China trade dynamics. Weaker-than-expected retail sales data from China, a key consumer of metals, added to fears of slowing demand. Nifty IT snapped its five-day winning streak, shedding 0.9 per cent on account of profit booking.