The BSE Sensex dropped 181 points, or 0.2%, to 84,882 in morning trade on Wednesday, down for the third consecutive session amid concerns over geopolitical tensions and the potential impact of fresh US tariffs. Traders also anticipated the release of US jobs data to guide the Fed’s monetary policy, as well as consumer and producer price data from China later this week, which will help guide the outlook for the Chinese economy, India’s top trading partner. However, optimism around the earnings outlook limited the decline. Losses were also contained by an upbeat session on Wall Street overnight, buoyed by expectations of multiple Fed rate cuts. Most sectors traded in the red, including banking, financial services, and auto. However, a surge in consumer durables and healthcare capped the fall, with the sectors rising by 2.0% and 1.2%, respectively. Among individual stocks, Tata Motors dropped 2.0%, HDFC Bank and Bajaj Finance each fell 1.1%, while IndusInd Bank declined 0.8%.
