Sensex ends down 119 points on profit-taking in IT, auto shares

Market Overview - The benchmark indices, BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, experienced declines, with Sensex dropping by 118.96 points (0.15%) to 81,785.74 and Nifty falling by 44.80 points (0.18%) to 25,069.20, ending their respective rallies [3][10] - The trading session was characterized by volatility and profit-taking, particularly in IT and auto sectors, as investors remained cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve policy meeting [1][4][5] Sector Performance - Major laggards among Sensex firms included Mahindra & Mahindra, Asian Paints, Infosys, Titan, Sun Pharma, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, and Power Grid [4] - Conversely, gainers included Bajaj Finance, Eternal, UltraTech Cement, and Reliance Industries [4] - The BSE Focused IT index saw the largest drop of 0.63%, followed by IT (0.60%), consumer durables (0.50%), teck (0.45%), and auto (0.32%) [9] Investor Sentiment - Investors are adopting a cautious stance, awaiting guidance on future interest rate trajectories from the Fed, despite a 25-bps rate cut being largely anticipated [7][10] - Strong domestic consumption is supporting market sentiment, alongside optimism regarding trade deals and expected earnings recovery in H2FY26 [7] Broader Market Trends - Broader markets showed positive movement, with the Smallcap index climbing 0.66% and the Midcap index gaining 0.40% [8] - Realty sector surged by 2.47%, while capital goods, industrials, telecommunication, and power sectors also advanced [9] Global Market Context - In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi and Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed positively, while Shanghai's SSE Composite index declined [11] - Global oil benchmark Brent crude increased by 0.48% to $67.31 per barrel [11]