Markets Crash Nearly 2%: BSE Sensex tumbled 1,342 pts; NSE Sinks Below 24K

Market Performance - The Indian stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended nearly 2% lower, with the Sensex dropping 1,342.27 points or 1.72% to settle at 76,863.71 and the Nifty falling 394.75 points or 1.63% to end at 23,866.85 [4][5] - The decline followed a brief respite, driven by surging crude oil prices and geopolitical tensions in West Asia [3][5] Factors Influencing the Market - Brent crude oil prices surged by 5.76% to USD 92.86 per barrel, negatively impacting market sentiment [5][8] - Continuous foreign fund outflows were significant, with Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloading equities worth Rs 4,672.64 crore [8] - Heavy selling pressure was observed in blue-chip bank stocks, contributing to the overall market decline [5][7] Sector Performance - Major laggards among the 30-Sensex firms included Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti, Trent, Bharti Airtel, and Kotak Mahindra Bank [7] - In contrast, Sun Pharma and NTPC were among the gainers during this trading session [7] Global Market Context - Asian markets showed mixed performance, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index rising by 1.43% and South Korea's Kospi climbing 1.40%, while Shanghai's SSE Composite index ended positively and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index settled lower [9]