Market roundup – 4/08/2026

Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Tuesday, snapping a four-session winning streak as investors booked profits ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) monetary policy decision and remained cautious amid developments surrounding U.S.-Iran talks. The decline reversed part of Monday’s sharp rally, with weakness in heavyweight stocks weighing on the broader market despite a late recovery from intraday lows.

Market Performance

• Nifty 50 opened at 24,703.90, touched an intraday high of 24,703.90 and a low of 24,427.95, before closing at 24,614.90, down 159.40 points (-0.64%).
• Sensex declined 210.07 points (-0.27%) to settle at 78,428.96.
• Bank Nifty fell 0.58%, ending its two-session winning streak.
• India VIX rose 2% to move above the 12 mark, reflecting a rise in market volatility.

Key Factors Driving the Market

• Investors turned cautious ahead of the RBI’s monetary policy announcement, prompting profit booking after the recent rally.
• Brent crude oil rebounded towards USD 85 per barrel following Monday’s sharp decline, as geopolitical uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Iran negotiations resurfaced.
• While U.S. President Donald Trump indicated optimism over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Iran denied direct negotiations with the U.S., although discussions with Oman on shipping routes continued.
• Additional global supply developments, including the extension of the Turkey-Iraq oil pipeline agreement, the resumption of Kazakhstan’s CPC crude exports, and OPEC+’s planned production increase, remained in focus.

Sectoral Performance

Sectoral breadth was weak, with only 2 of the 11 major Nifty sectoral indices closing in positive territory.

Top Gainers

• Nifty Media: +2.03%

Top Losers

• Nifty Realty: -2.39%

The broader market delivered a mixed performance:

• Nifty Midcap 100: -0.29%
• Nifty Smallcap 100: +0.29%

Stocks in Focus

• Ather Energy surged 13.94% to a record high after reporting a narrower June quarter loss.
• DLF fell 3.76% after its quarterly earnings, with brokerages highlighting subdued pre-sales and weaker cash collections.
• LIC India declined 1.35% following the government’s announcement of a 6.5% stake sale through an Offer for Sale (OFS).

Top Contributors to Nifty 50

Positive Contributors

• Hindalco Industries: +7.93 points
• Apollo Hospitals Enterprise: +5.13 points
• ITC: +4.21 points

Negative Contributors

• Reliance Industries: -41.42 points
• HDFC Bank: -36.75 points
• Grasim Industries: -10.05 points

Market Breadth

Market breadth remained slightly negative on the NSE.

• Advancing stocks: 1,602
• Declining stocks: 1,708
• Unchanged: 124

Other market statistics:

• 52-week highs: 141
• 52-week lows: 30
• Upper circuits: 125
• Lower circuits: 77

Outlook

Markets witnessed a healthy bout of profit booking after a strong four-day rally, with investors preferring to reduce exposure ahead of the RBI’s policy outcome. While domestic fundamentals remain supportive, global crude oil movements, geopolitical developments, and the central bank’s commentary on inflation and growth will be key drivers of market sentiment in the near term. The Nifty’s ability to hold above the 24,500 zone will remain crucial, while any positive policy surprise from the RBI could help revive bullish momentum.