Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Friday, the final trading session of the month, as investors booked profits following a strong monthly rally. Weakness in private banking, metal, and power stocks dragged the indices down, though the market still closed out its best month since March 2025.
The S&P BSE Sensex fell 465.75 points (0.55%) to close at 83,938.71. The NSE Nifty 50 also declined, dropping 155.75 points (0.60%) to end the month at 25,722.10.
Key Market Highlights
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Sensex: Closed at 83,938.71, down by 466 points.
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Nifty 50: Ended the session below the 25,750 mark.
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Monthly Performance: Despite the day's fall, the benchmark Sensex and Nifty 50 both posted impressive gains of around 5% for October, marking their best monthly performance in seven months. The rally was driven by strong corporate earnings and steady foreign fund inflows.
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Market Sentiment: The market sentiment turned cautious on the last day, with profit-taking emerging after a stellar run-up. Mixed global cues and new regulatory norms for Bank Nifty derivatives also weighed on the mood.
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Broader Markets: The broader markets also edged lower, with the mid-cap and small-cap indices falling by 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively.
Top Gainers and Losers
Gains in the auto and FMCG sectors were unable to offset losses in banking and pharma stocks.
| Top Gainers |
Top Losers |
| Eicher Motors (+2.42%) |
Cipla (-2.01%) |
| ITC (+1.42%) |
NTPC (-1.91%) |
| Bajaj Auto (+1.05%) |
Max Healthcare Institute (-1.91%) |
| Coal India (+0.89%) |
Eternal (Zomato) (-1.82%) |
| Maruti Suzuki (+0.70%) |
HDFC Bank (-1.43%) |
Sectoral Performance
It was a day of mixed sectoral performance, with PSU banks bucking the negative trend while private banks and metals dragged.
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Top Gainer: The Nifty PSU Bank index was a notable outperformer, rising by about 1.5%.
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Top Losers: Banking and financial stocks were the major laggards, with heavyweights like HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank losing over 1%. The Metal, Power, and Media sectors also declined.
Busiest Day of the Q2 Earnings Season
Friday was a blockbuster day for corporate earnings, with over 80 companies announcing their results for the September quarter.
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Maruti Suzuki: The country's largest carmaker reported a 7.29% year-on-year jump in its consolidated net profit to ₹3,293.1 crore.
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Vedanta: The mining giant's consolidated net profit fell by a sharp 59% year-on-year to ₹1,798 crore.
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Bank of Baroda: The state-owned lender posted an 8% year-on-year decline in its net profit to ₹4,809 crore.
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Patanjali Foods: The company reported a strong 67% year-on-year rise in its net profit to ₹517 crore, with revenue growing 21%.
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ACC Cement: The cement major's profit surged by a massive 460% year-on-year to ₹1,119 crore, driven by growth in its premium products.
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Godrej Consumer Products: The FMCG firm's net profit declined by 6.5% to ₹459 crore.
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GAIL (India): The state-run gas utility reported a 17% decline in its net profit to ₹2,217 crore.
Major News and Corporate Updates
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HUL Demerger: Hindustan Unilever received approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for the demerger of its ice cream business into a separate entity, Kwality Wall’s India.
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M&M Subsidiary Liquidated: Mahindra & Mahindra announced that its Australian subsidiary, Mahindra Aerospace Australia, has been voluntarily liquidated and deregistered.
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L&T Enters Drone Manufacturing: Larsen & Toubro entered into a strategic partnership with US-based General Atomics to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones in India.
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ONGC Dividend: ONGC fixed November 14, 2025, as the record date for its interim dividend.
Global Market Summary
Global market sentiment was mixed and cautious, with investors reacting to a fresh batch of corporate earnings from U.S. tech giants and the Federal Reserve's commentary.
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Global Stocks: U.S. markets had closed lower on Thursday after disappointing capex plans from Meta and Microsoft spooked investors. However, strong results from Amazon and Apple, along with a 10-for-1 stock split announcement from Netflix, provided some cheer. Asian markets ended mixed on Friday.
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US-China Trade: U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit in Busan, where they agreed to reduce some tariffs and pause regulations on rare earth elements for a year, though some details remained ambiguous.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why did the market fall today?
The market's decline was primarily driven by profit-booking after a strong rally that lasted most of October. Weak global cues and new regulatory norms for Bank Nifty derivatives also prompted investors to take some money off the table.
How did the market perform for the month of October?
Despite the final day's fall, the Indian market had a stellar October. The Sensex and Nifty 50 both gained around 5%, marking their best monthly performance since March 2025.
What were the key Q2 results announced today?
It was a very busy earnings day. Maruti Suzuki and Patanjali Foods reported strong profit growth, while Vedanta and Bank of Baroda saw their profits decline. ACC Cement was a standout, with its profit surging 460%.
What was the major corporate news of the day?
Hindustan Unilever received the final approval to demerge its ice cream business. In another significant development, Larsen & Toubro announced a partnership to manufacture large military drones in India.