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EQUITY
Key gauges end lower amid weak global cues
Nov-18-2025

Indian equity benchmarks witnessed a volatile session on weekly expiry day and ended lower on Tuesday due to profit-taking in Realty, IT and Metal shares amid a weak trend in global markets. Investors were concerned about increasing import bills and the widening trade deficit of the country. Traders were closely watching the progress on the proposed India-US trade deal.

Some of the important factors in trade:

India’s merchandise exports contract 11.8% in October: The commerce ministry in its latest data has showed that India’s merchandise exports contracted 11.8 per cent to $34.38 billion in October 2025 as compared to $38.98 billion in October 2024, on account of the impact of high tariffs by the US. 

Rate of unemployment remains steady at 5.2% in October: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in its Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) has said that the rate of unemployment for those aged 15 and above remained steady at 5.2 per cent in October. 

Sanctions on Russian oil unlikely to hit Indian OMCs hard: Fitch Ratings said US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, along with the EU's ban on refined products derived from Russian crude, are unlikely to materially dent the margins or credit profiles of India's state-run oil marketing companies. 

Govt approves 17 projects under electronics component manufacturing scheme: The government approved 17 projects entailing about Rs 7,172 crore investment across six categories under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), underlining India's resolve and its decisive push into producing high-value components. 

Global front: European markets were trading lower amid dwindling Fed rate-cut bets and uncertainty over the U.S. economic outlook. Asian markets settled lower as risk aversion intensified ahead of upcoming Nvidia earnings and a slew of U.S. economic data, including the delayed jobs report, which will be released almost seven weeks behind schedule due to the government shutdown. 

Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 277.93 points or 0.33% to 84,673.02 and the CNX Nifty was down by 103.40 points or 0.40% to 25,910.05.  

The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 85,042.41 and 84,558.36 respectively. There were 7 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining on the index.   

The broader indices ended in red; the BSE Mid cap index fell 0.70%, while Small cap index was down by 0.85%.

The lone gaining sectoral index on the BSE was Consumer Durables up by 0.21%, while Realty down by 1.98%, IT down by 1.15%, Metal down by 1.07%, Basic Materials down by 0.95% and Capital Goods down by 0.94% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Bharti Airtel up by 1.78%, Axis Bank up by 1.27%, Asian Paints up by 0.64%, Titan Company up by 0.37% and Power Grid Corporation up by 0.24%. On the flip side, Tech Mahindra down by 2.23%, Infosys down by 1.46%, Bajaj Finance down by 1.26%, Bajaj Finserv down by 1.25% and Eternal down by 1.15% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry has said that India is expected to gain from the US decision to roll back reciprocal tariffs on certain agricultural products such as tea, coffee and spices. A White House Executive Order issued on November 12 excludes coffee, tea, tropical fruits, fruit juices, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, beef and certain fertilisers from the April 2 reciprocal tariff regime. The exemptions took effect on November 13.

The Commerce Ministry said that while this applies to all trading partners, it creates a level playing field for Indian exporters. India exports these goods worth over $1 billion annually. These products included fruits and nuts, processed foods, spices, tea and coffee, essential oils, and vegetable and edible roots.

However, think tank GTRI has said that India will have a small gain from the US move. GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said ‘India has almost no presence in several of the largest exempted lines - tomatoes, citrus fruits, melons, bananas, most fresh fruits, and fruit juices. He said that the shift in US tariff policy could marginally strengthen India's competitive position in spices and niche horticulture, but the broader gains will accrue mainly to major Latin American, African, and ASEAN farm exporters unless India expands scale, builds cold-chain capacity, and diversifies its agricultural export basket.

CNX Nifty touched high and low of 26,029.85 and 25,876.50 respectively. There were 8 stocks advancing against 42 stocks declining on the index.    

The top gainers on Nifty were Bharti Airtel up by 1.60%, Axis Bank up by 1.07%, Asian Paints up by 0.65%, Shriram Finance up by 0.62% and Titan Company up by 0.42%.  On the flip side, Tata Consumer Product down by 2.28%, Tech Mahindra down by 2.21%, JIO Financial Services down by 1.99%, Interglobe Aviation down by 1.95% and Eternal down by 1.63% were the top losers.

European markets were trading lower; UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 105.38 points or 1.09% to 9,570.05, France’s CAC fell 95.82 points or 1.18% to 8,023.20 and Germany’s DAX lost 268.42 points or 1.14% to 23,322.10.

Asian markets settled lower on Tuesday tracking Wall Street’s fall overnight ahead of a slew of US economic data, including the delayed jobs report, which could influence the Federal Reserve’s policy decisions next month. Seoul shares fell, led by decline in tech shares on valuation concerns. Chinese and Hong Kong shares plunged weighed down by new energy shares and as diplomatic tensions between China and Japan deepened. Japanese shares dropped as tourism-related shares continued to fall after China advised citizens to avoid travel and study in Japan amid rising political tensions, while the yen soared on intervention fears.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

3,939.81

-32.22

-0.81

Hang Seng

25,930.03

-454.25

-1.72

Jakarta Composite

8,361.93

-54.95

-0.66

KLSE Composite

1,614.06

-13.37

-0.82

Nikkei 225

48,702.98

-1,620.93

-3.22

Straits Times

4,504.67

-38.92

-0.86

KOSPI Composite

3,953.62

-135.63

-3.32

Taiwan Weighted

26,756.12

-691.19

-2.52
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