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Stock market crash leaves investors reeling! Sentiment among stock investors most bearish since Covid – The Times of India

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Stock market crash leaves investors reeling! Sentiment among stock investors most bearish since Covid – The Times of India


The primary indices – Sensex and Nifty – have declined approximately 15% from their September 27 peaks. (AI image)

Stock market crash: Stock market sentiment has reached its most pessimistic level since March 2020, when Covid-19 triggered the previous market crash. The Advance Decline Ratio, a key indicator of market health and investor confidence, hit 0.72 in February, marking its lowest point in five years.
The diminishing ADR indicates a higher number of declining stocks compared to advancing ones, suggesting market weakness. The ratio stood at 0.9 in January, whilst previously maintaining levels between 1 and 1.28 on average before the market decline began in October, according to an ET report.
The primary indices – Sensex and Nifty – have declined approximately 15% from their September 27 peaks, influenced by Chinese market recovery, dollar strengthening and weakening domestic corporate performance, leading to substantial foreign investor exits.
Also Read | Stock market crash: Sensex yearly returns slip into red; Smallcap 250 down the most, with yearly loss of 7.7%
The broader market has experienced more significant declines, with the Mid-cap 150 index falling 20.3%, Small-Cap 250 index declining 24.4%, and the Micro-cap 250 dropping 23.8% during this period.
“The declining ADR indicates that the markets have been quite bearish due to a lack of buying interest, where the retail investors are shying away from buying and the foreign investors are engaged in persistent aggressive selling,” said Naveen Kulkarni, CIO, Axis Securities.
The market decline in January continued, with February experiencing heightened concerns regarding Trump trade tariffs, he noted. “The markets were excessively bullish prior to the declines last year, and the negative sentiment is also in excess in a similar vein,” he said.
Foreign investors have withdrawn investments totalling over ₹2.81 lakh crore since October’s sell-off commenced, with approximately ₹1.3 lakh crore of divestment occurring this year.
Also Read | ‘You are better off…’: Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath shares SIP mantra amidst stock market crash doom and gloom
“The markets have been declining for five consecutive months now and the trend remains weak due to lack of any domestic or global positive triggers,” said Harsha Upadhyaya, CIO, Kotak Mahindra AMC.
Investment experts have varying opinions on valuation levels following the consistent market decline since October.
According to Kulkarni, valuations in the broader market have become reasonable, with large-cap shares trading at lower levels.
“The markets are expected to be at the tail end of the sell off and once there is a palpable improvement in earnings, a revival is expected, said Kulkarni. “It is tough to catch the bottom but given that March is also expected to be a positive month seasonally, the selling could see a halt.”
Several fund managers believe that whilst earnings recovery is anticipated in upcoming quarters, mid-cap and small-cap shares continue to trade at high valuations.
“Despite the steep corrections, the valuations remain rich in the mid-cap and small-cap segment and the earnings deceleration was also more severe in this segment,” said Upadhyaya. “The adjusted valuation on large-cap stocks is a better bet for long time investors.”
Also Read | ‘Nifty is like Shah Rukh Khan…’: Why Edelweiss MF CEO Radhika Gupta said this amidst stock market crash
Market watchers view extreme Advance Decline Ratio readings as a contrary signal.
“The ADR in February is at the same level as March 2020, which indicates extremely oversold markets owing to extremely negative investor sentiment, which are close to a reversal in the short term that could sustain at least for a couple of months,” said Rohit Srivastava, founder, indiacharts.com.
He noted that confirmation would require positive breadth and price movement. “If Nifty moves over 22,500 levels it is likely to be confirmed”. The index finished at 22,082.65 on Tuesday.
Although a market rebound is possible, experts suggest it may lack sustainability without catalysts.
“While the falling ADR points to oversold markets, nothing exciting is anticipated in the short-term,” said Upadhyaya.
Also Read | Stock market crash: Sensex, Nifty are bleeding! Why it may be time to put your money in gold, silver, FDs, bonds & other investment avenues





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Cyient Q4 net declines 5% to ₹186.4 crore 

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Intelligent engineering and technology solutions provider Cyient’s consolidated net profit for the quarter ended March declined more than 5% to ₹186.4 crore from ₹196.9 crore a year earlier.

The lower net profit came on an over 3% increase in total income to ₹1,950.2 crore (₹1,884.2 crore).

In a release, Cyient said during the quarter its Digital, Engineering, and Technology (DET) segment revenue declined 1.2% at ₹1,472 crore, while net profit at ₹163 crore was a year on year de-growth of 6%. The company has declared a final dividend of ₹14 per share (par value of ₹5 each) for 2024-25.

For the fiscal, Cyient DET net profit was 12.2% lower at ₹605 crore. It came on a 1.6% decline in revenue to ₹5,816 crore.

“Our top customers demonstrated strong growth this fiscal year despite the headwinds in demand. While there are some uncertainties in the near term, we are working very closely with our customers in navigating through the current challenges. We expect this to last at least through the first half of FY26,” executive vice chairman and managing director of Cyient Krishna Bodanapu said.

At a group level, “we now have three well-balanced growth vectors for the future. Our recent carve-out, Cyient Semiconductors, focuses on technology development and disruption led by AI. The DET business focuses on technology services with engineering competence as the core, and our DLM business focuses on engineering-led product manufacturing opportunities. With this, we are well-positioned to address a wide spectrum of growth opportunities in this emerging macro and geopolitical environment,” he said in a release.



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US Markets Today: S&P 500, Dow Jones reflect investor caution as US -China trade deal hopes stay murky – Times of India

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US Markets Today: S&P 500, Dow Jones reflect investor caution as US -China trade deal hopes stay murky – Times of India


US markets opened on a mixed note Thursday morning as investors closely monitored ongoing signals about global trade negotiations, particularly between the United States and China.Lingering uncertainty around tariff talks, paired with cautious sentiment from key officials, continued to shape investor behaviour across asset classes.
As of 9:42 AM GMT-4, US stock markets showed a mixed performance with investors closely monitoring the status of trade talks between the United States and China. The S&P 500 was up 15.05 points, or 0.28%, at 5,390.91, reflecting cautious optimism in the broader market.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 100.3 points, or 0.25%, to 39,506.27 as of the same time, dragged lower by weakness in industrial and financial stocks, which are more exposed to global trade tensions. In contrast, the Nasdaq rose 107.29 points, or 0.64%, to 16,815.34, lifted by gains in large-cap tech names.
Gold climbed $41.10, or 1.25%, to $3,335.20, while oil prices also advanced, with West Texas Intermediate crude up $0.58, or 0.93%, at $62.85 per barrel. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note dropped 5.1 basis points to 4.336%, reflecting a shift toward safer assets.
In currency markets, the euro traded at $1.137, up 0.006 or 0.522% against the US dollar as of the latest reading. The VIX, Wall Street’s fear gauge, declined 0.92 points, or 3.23%, to 27.53.
Meanwhile, Stock markets mostly fell on Thursday after China dismissed US President Donald Trump‘s upbeat comments about progress in trade negotiations, casting doubt on the prospects of a deal to end the ongoing US-China trade war.
Markets had rallied the previous day when Trump suggested that tariffs on Chinese goods could be significantly reduced and that a “fair deal” with Beijing was within reach.
However, China on Thursday stated that claims of active trade talks with Washington were “groundless,” dampening investor optimism.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added to the uncertainty, saying that the two countries were “not yet” discussing the lowering of tariffs.
“The investing world went back to clinging to every word from the White House, but with such a confusing and often contradictory stance on tariffs, volatility was all that could really be expected,” said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
European stock markets fell as investors also focused on a series of corporate earnings reports for clues about how tariffs might affect business outlooks moving forward.
“Comments about tariffs from business leaders were everywhere, and investors were eager to see how companies planned to manage potential cost pressures,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Amid the uncertainty, the US dollar weakened, as investors turned to traditional safe-haven assets like the Swiss franc, the yen, and gold.
In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 closed 0.5 percent higher, while Shanghai ended the day flat and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped nearly one percent.
Bessent also addressed US-Japan trade talks, stating that there were “absolutely no currency targets,” despite Trump’s previous remarks expressing a desire for a stronger yen.
Seoul’s stock market declined after South Korea’s economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 had closed 1.7 percent higher on Wednesday, reflecting previous optimism.
In corporate news, Japanese automaker Nissan issued a stark profit warning, adding to investor concerns. Conversely, Nintendo shares surged as much as 5.5 percent following stronger-than-expected pre-order demand in Japan for its upcoming Switch 2 console.
French software company Dassault Systèmes saw its shares drop around seven percent in Paris after reporting a decline in net profit and revising its 2025 operating margin forecast downward.
Luxury group Kering fell roughly four percent in Paris as its Gucci brand continued to experience a sales slump.
Carmaker Renault, also based in Paris, rose around two percent after announcing further cost-cutting plans in response to US tariffs and reporting a slight increase in sales volumes.
In Frankfurt, German sportswear maker Adidas jumped about three percent as its first-quarter profit nearly doubled, surpassing market expectations.
Key Figures at 1100 GMT:

  • London – FTSE 100: Down 0.1% at 8,399.18
  • Paris – CAC 40: Down 0.2% at 7,464.88
  • Frankfurt – DAX: Down 0.3% at 21,907.84
  • Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Up 0.5% at 35,039.15 (close)
  • Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: Down 0.7% at 21,909.76 (close)
  • Shanghai – Composite: Flat at 3,297.29 (close)
  • New York – Dow: Up 1.1% at 39,606.57 (close)

Currencies:

  • Euro/Dollar: Up to $1.1383 from $1.1317
  • Pound/Dollar: Up to $1.3307 from $1.3257
  • Dollar/Yen: Down to 142.48 from 143.49
  • Euro/Pound: Up to 85.57 pence from 85.34

Commodities:

  • West Texas Intermediate: Up 1.2% at $63.02 per barrel
  • Brent North Sea Crude: Up 1.1% at $65.88 per barrel





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Stock markets decline after 7-day rally; HUL drops 4% post earnings

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Stock markets decline after 7-day rally; HUL drops 4% post earnings


Image used for representational purpose.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Thursday (April 24, 2025) amid profit-taking after a seven-day rally and disappointing earnings from Hindustan Unilever.

Selling in blue-chips ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel and a largely muted trend in Asian and European equities also dragged the markets lower.

The 30-share BSE benchmark declined 315.06 points or 0.39% to settle at 79,801.43. During the day, it dropped 391.94 points or 0.48% to 79,724.55.

The NSE Nifty went down by 82.25 points or 0.34% to 24,246.70.

In the past seven trading days, the BSE benchmark gauge zoomed 6,269.34 points or 8.48% and the Nifty jumped 1,929.8 points or 8.61%.

From the Sensex firms, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) dropped 4% after the firm reported a decline of 3.35% in consolidated net profit at ₹2,475 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2025 on lower margins.

Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Technologies, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tata Consultancy Services and Bajaj Finance were also among the laggards.

Nestle India Ltd on Thursday reported a 6.5% decline in consolidated net profit at ₹873.46 crore for March quarter of FY25 as the FMCG industry faced food inflation and moderation in urban consumption.

IndusInd Bank, UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors, Tech Mahindra, Titan and Asian Paints were among the gainers.

“The domestic market witnessed mild profit-booking after the recent rally. Similarly, global markets too experienced selling pressure as the market participants scaled back the possibility of a quick resolution of tariff disputes between the U.S. and China.

“FMCG majors’ Q4 results were weak, impacted by subdued volumes and margin pressure, which led the sector to underperform,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng settled lower while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 and Shanghai SSE Composite ended in the positive territory.

European markets were quoting lower.

U.S. markets ended sharply higher on Wednesday. Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.50%, S&P 500 surged 1.67% and Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.07%.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.03% to $66.10 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹3,332.93 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.

The BSE benchmark jumped 520.90 points or 0.65% to settle at 80,116.49, the highest closing level since December 18, on Wednesday. The Nifty rallied 161.70 points or 0.67% to 24,328.95.



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