Taking Stock: Nifty slips from record high, Sensex down 322 pts; IT, oil & gas worst hit

Market Today

• Nifty hit a fresh high but closed down 0.30%
• Nifty Bank and midcap indices touched record highs before profit booking
• Realty and consumer durables rose; IT and oil & gas sectors fell.

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The Indian markets started the week on a strong note with Nifty hitting fresh high of 26,373.20 but failed to build on the gains and witnessed a rangebound activity in the first half. However, amid escalated tension between US-Venezuela, the market witnessed extended selling pressure in the second half, dragging Nifty near 26,250, to close near day's low.

At close, the Sensex was down 322.39 points or 0.38 percent at 85,439.62, and the Nifty was down 78.25 points or 0.30 percent at 26,250.30.

Among broader indices, Nifty midcap index touched new record high of 61,520.60 but ended with marginal losses, while Nifty smallcap index rose 0.5 percent.

Nifty Bank index also hits new all-time high of 60,437.35, intraday, but despite selling pressure it able to finished above 60,000.

Also Read: Will sector rotation repeat this year, turning 2025’s losers into 2026’s winners?

Biggest Nifty losers included HDFC Bank, HCL Technologies, Infosys, Wipro, ONGC, while gainers were Nestle India, Bharat Electronics, Eicher Motors, Asian Paints, Tata Steel.

Among sectors, IT, oil & gas, telecom down 0.5-1 percent, while realty index jumped 2 percent, consumer durables index rose 1 percent and metal and FMCG indices added 0.5% each.

Also Read - Mcap of all listed firms on BSE hits fresh record high

Index	Prices	Change	Change%
Sensex	74,563.92	-1,470.50	-1.93%
Nifty 50	23,151.10	-488.05	-2.06%
Nifty Bank	53,757.85	-1,343.10	-2.44%

Nifty 50 23,151.10 -488.05 (-2.06%)

Fri, Mar 13, 2026

• 1D
• 5D
• 1M
• 3M
• 6M
• 1Y
• 2Y

Biggest Gainer	Prices	Change	Change%
TATA Cons. Prod	1,083.60	25.80	+2.44%

Biggest Loser	Prices	Change	Change%
Larsen	3,439.00	-280.50	-7.54%

Best Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty FMCG	47924.15	-265.00	-0.55%

Worst Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty Metal	11292.50	-571.40	-4.82%

In stocks, CSB Bank, Equitas Small Finance Bank, Bandhan Bank, V-Mart Retail, Dhanlaxmi Bank added 2-17 percent on better Q3 business data, Tourism Finance Corp of India shares added 20% after 12 million shares (2.6%) of change hands in block trade, Orient Technologies jumped 8% as shares trade ex-bonus, Fairchem Organics fell 3% as shares trade ex-buyback, Cupid shares plunged 7% after 2.13 million shares traded in a block, Amber Enterprises shares added nearly 4% after arm gets formal approval under ECMS.

Also Read - Why Indian markets are shrugging off US strike on Venezuela

More than 200 stocks hit 52-week high, including Sai Life Sciences, Nestle India, India Cements, Union Bank of India, Hindustan Copper, Muthoot Finance, Eicher Motors, Marico, Maruti Suzuki, AU Small Finance Bank, AIA Engineering, Titan Company, SBI Life Insurance, Phoenix Mills, SAIL, Jindal Stainless, Hindalco Industries, TVS Motor, Bank of Baroda, among others. Click to View More

Outlook for January 6

Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities

The index witnessed profit-taking after registering a new all-time high. The near-term trend remains strong, as the Nifty closed above the recent breakout level. Momentum indicators such as the RSI and key moving averages continue to maintain positive positioning.

On the downside, support is placed in the 26,170–26,200 zone; a decisive break below 26,170 may trigger a corrective move towards 26,000. On the upside, resistance is placed in the 26,370–26,400 zone.

Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities

The benchmark Nifty index kicked off the week on a strong note, scaling a fresh all time high of 26373 during Monday’s session. However, the index faced profit booking in the second half, trimming intraday gains. Despite the selling pressure, Nifty staged a mild recovery from the day’s low and eventually settled at 26250, down 0.30%. On the daily chart, the index has formed a bearish candle with small upper and lower shadows.

Going ahead, for Nifty, the zone of 26130-26100 will act as important support. On the upside, the zone of 26370-26400 will act as a crucial hurdle. Any sustainable move above 26400 will lead to further upside upto the 26550 level.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decision.