Indian stock size inferior – Market

Mumbai, August 12, 2025 (IST) – Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Tuesday, dragged down by financial stocks, as investors turned cautious ahead of the release of US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data later today — a key indicator for the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.

The NSE Nifty 50 dropped 0.4% to close at 24,487.40, while the BSE Sensex fell 0.46% (370 points) to 80,235.59.

---

Sectoral Performance

• Financials: Reversed Monday’s 0.9% gain, ending down 1%.

• Pharma: Rose 0.4%, supported by strong quarterly results from Abbott India and Alkem Laboratories.

• Midcaps & Smallcaps: Largely flat, with midcap index down 0.3%.

• IT Stocks: Advanced on the back of positive US tech sentiment.

Eight of the major sectoral indices closed in the green, but financials weighed heavily on the overall market sentiment.

---

Stock-Specific Highlights

• HDFC Ltd: Fell sharply amid uncertainty over lending rate data for July, with analysts estimating loan growth at a multi-month low of 1.76%.

• Astral Ltd: Dropped 11.1% following a weaker-than-expected quarterly earnings report.

---

Global & Domestic Cues

The market mood was influenced by caution ahead of the US inflation report, as softer US rates could boost the appeal of emerging market equities like India. Domestically, investors are watching for banking sector loan growth data for further market direction.