Sensex tanks 610 pts; Nifty slips below 26K

Market Overview - Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced significant declines after two days of gains, driven by profit-taking among investors and continued selling by foreign investors [1][4] - The BSE Sensex fell by 609.68 points (0.71%) to close at 85,102.69, while the NSE Nifty dropped by 225.90 points (0.86%) to settle at 25,960.55 [4] Investor Sentiment - Analysts noted that investors adopted a defensive stance ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy decision, which negatively impacted market sentiment [3][6] - Despite strong domestic growth figures and a recent rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), short-term sentiment is clouded by global monetary policy concerns, persistent foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows, and currency depreciation [8] Sector Performance - Among the Sensex constituents, several companies such as Bharat Electronics Ltd, Tata Steel, and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards, while Tech Mahindra and HDFC Bank were the only gainers [5] - The market saw a broad-based decline, with the Nifty slipping below the 26,000 mark as caution prevailed among investors [6] Foreign Investment Activity - Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth ₹438.90 crore, while domestic institutional investors purchased stocks worth ₹4,189.17 crore [9] Global Market Context - Other Asian markets showed mixed performance, with South Korea's KOSPI rising by 1.34% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index falling by 1.23% [9] - The surge in Japanese bond yields to multi-year highs raised concerns about potential unwinding of the yen carry trade, contributing to market volatility [8] Commodity Prices - Brent crude oil prices decreased by 0.61% to $63.37 per barrel, reflecting broader market trends [10]