NewsMarketsMarket Wrap: Nifty and Sensex Close Marginally Lower Amid Mixed Sectoral PerformanceMarket Wrap: Nifty and Sensex Close Marginally Lower Amid Mixed Sectoral Performance
Indian stock markets ended slightly down on October 21, with Nifty at 25,843.15 (-0.07%) and Sensex at 84,363.37 (-0.06%). Printing & Stationery led gains (+3.00%), while Commercial Services fell (-13.61%). IT sector showed strength with Infosys leading. Market breadth remained positive with 3,270 advancing stocks out of 4,319 traded.
*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.
Market Overview
The Indian stock markets closed marginally lower on October 21, 2025, with both benchmark indices showing slight declines. The Nifty 50 ended the day at 25,843.15, down 16.90 points or 0.07%, while the BSE Sensex closed at 84,363.37, shedding 52.92 points or 0.06%.
Sectoral Performance
The day saw a mixed performance across various sectors:
| Top Performing Sectors | Avg. % Change |
|---|---|
| Printing & Stationery | 3.00 |
| Castings, Forgings & Fasteners | 2.15 |
| Trading | 2.09 |
| Cables | 1.63 |
| Top Losing Sectors | Avg. % Change |
|---|---|
| Commercial Services | -13.61 |
| Energy | -12.91 |
| Forest Materials | -11.58 |
| Realty | -9.04 |
| Textiles | -9.01 |
Buzzing Stocks
Several stocks made headlines during the trading session:
Axis Bank: The RBI approved Neeraj Gambhir's appointment as Executive Director for a three-year term, effective October 20, 2025.
Persistent Systems: Reported strong Q2 FY26 results with revenue of $406.2 million, marking 4.2% QoQ and 17.6% YoY growth. EBIT margin improved to 16.3%, and the company implemented merit increments for all global employees.
IT Sector: Infosys, LTIMindtree, and Wipro reported their Q2 results, with Infosys leading at 2.2% quarterly revenue growth and raising its full-year guidance to 2-3%.
ICICI Lombard: Reported 22.9% growth in H1 FY2026 profit after tax, reaching ₹15.67 billion. The company declared an interim dividend of ₹6.50 per share.
Market Breadth
The overall market breadth was positive:
| Category | Number of Scrips |
|---|---|
| Total Traded | 4,319 |
| Positive | 3,270 |
| Negative | 1,049 |
Conclusion
Despite the marginal decline in benchmark indices, the market showed resilience with a positive breadth. The mixed sectoral performance and strong results from IT companies indicate a nuanced market environment as we move further into the fiscal year 2025-26.
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