Indian equity markets paused their three-day rally on Friday, opening sharply lower as a steep sell-off in IT stocks weighed on investor sentiment. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 401.41 points to 83,840.99, while the NSE Nifty50 declined 120.60 points to 25,833.25 in early trade.

IT Stocks Lead the Decline

The primary driver behind the market’s weakness was the sharp fall in information technology stocks. The Nifty IT Index dropped 4.40% in morning trade, making it the worst-performing sectoral index of the session.

Heavy selling was visible across major IT counters. Coforge Ltd fell 5.24%, Infosys Ltd declined 4.97%, and Tech Mahindra Ltd slipped 4.56%. Persistent Systems Ltd lost 4.45%, LTIMindtree Ltd dropped 4.37%, and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) fell 4.30%.

Mphasis Ltd was down 4.13%, HCL Technologies Ltd declined 3.88%, Wipro Ltd slipped 3.36%, and Oracle Financial Services Software Ltd fell 2.83%.

Commenting on the weakness, Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited, said tech stocks, reeling under the “Anthropic shock,” are unlikely to recover soon. He pointed to the sharp decline in ADRs of Indian IT companies in the US, suggesting continued pressure on the sector and a possible shift in investor preference toward other performing segments.

Top Losers and Gainers on Sensex

On the Sensex, Infosys emerged as the top loser, falling 4.67%. Tech Mahindra declined 4.39%, TCS slipped 4.21%, HCL Technologies dropped 3.70%, and Eternal Ltd fell 2.36%.

However, some stocks managed to buck the trend. ICICI Bank Ltd led the gainers, rising 1.35%, followed by NTPC Ltd, which gained 0.64%. State Bank of India Ltd advanced 0.61%, Axis Bank Ltd added 0.54%, and Hindustan Unilever Ltd rose 0.53%.

Broader Markets Under Pressure

The weakness extended beyond large-cap stocks. Nifty Midcap100 fell 0.80%, while Nifty Smallcap100 declined 0.89%. India VIX, the volatility index, rose 1.29%, reflecting heightened investor nervousness.

Most sectoral indices traded in the red. Nifty FMCG slipped 0.06%, Nifty IT plunged 4.55%, Nifty Media fell 1.01%, Nifty Pharma declined 0.61%, Nifty Realty dropped 1.37%, and Nifty Healthcare Index slipped 0.54%. Nifty Oil and Gas, Nifty Metal, Nifty PSU Bank, and Nifty Consumer Durables also registered losses.

A few sectors showed resilience. Nifty Auto gained 0.19%, Nifty Financial Services 25/50 edged up 0.02%, and Nifty Private Bank rose 0.11%.

Market Outlook

With IT stocks facing heavy pressure due to global cues, ADR declines, and renewed AI-related concerns, overall market sentiment remains cautious. Investors will closely watch global technology trends, US market movements, and domestic sector rotation for further direction.