Stock Market LIVE Updates: GIFT Nifty suggests a negative start; US markets down, Asia flat
US stocks finished lower on Thursday ahead of Friday’s monthly U.S. payrolls report and as investors kept a watchful eye on the growing conflict in the Middle East.
Data on Thursday showed that the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits rose marginally last week, while Hurricane Helene and strikes at ports could distort the labor market picture in the near term.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 184.93 points, or 0.44%, to 42,011.59, the S&P 500 lost 9.58 points, or 0.17%, to 5,699.96 and the Nasdaq Composite eased 6.65 points, or 0.04%, to 17,918.48.
The S&P 500 remains up 19.5% for the year so far.
Indian equity indices witnessed free fall on October 3 and lost 2 percent to end lower for the fourth consecutive session with Nifty falling below 25,250 amid rising geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran.
At close, the Sensex was down 1,769.19 points or 2.10 percent at 82,497.10, and the Nifty was down 546.80 points or 2.12 percent at 25,250.10.
Investors’ wealth eroded by around Rs 9.6 lakh crore, as the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies slipped to Rs 465.25 lakh crore, from Rs 474.86 lakh crore in the previous session.
Biggest Nifty losers were BPCL, L&T, Tata Motors, Shriram Finance, Axis Bank are among, while gainers were JSW Steel, ONGC.
All the sectoral indices ended in the red with realty down 4.5 percent and auto, bank, media, capital goods, oil & gas index down 2-3 percent.
BSE Midcap and smallcap indices down 2 percent each.