Final Trade: Markets end in red as earnings drag and US trade jitters weigh on sentiment

Indian equity benchmarks ended Thursday's session in the red as investor sentiment remained subdued due to a sluggish start to the June quarter earnings season and renewed global trade concerns following comments from former US President Donald Trump on the India-US trade deal. The Nifty50's weekly F&O expiry also contributed to intraday volatility.

At close, the BSE Sensex slipped 359.32 points, or 0.43 per cent, to settle at 82,275. The NSE Nifty declined 85.85 points, or 0.34 per cent, to end at 25,126.20.

On the Sensex, Trent, SBI, M&M, Tata Motors, Sun Pharma, NTPC, and Titan were the top gainers. Meanwhile, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, L&T, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, and Zomato (Eternal) led the losers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index erased early gains to end flat, while the Nifty SmallCap index dipped 0.04 per cent.

Sector-wise, selling pressure was seen in IT, banking, and PSU stocks. The Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty IT indices both fell 0.6 per cent, while the Nifty Bank shed 0.45 per cent. On the flip side, the Nifty Pharma index rose 0.5 per cent, and Nifty Realty gained 0.4 per cent.

Analysts expect markets to remain choppy in the near term amid earnings announcements and global macro developments.