India’s BSE Sensex slipped on Monday, ending about 0.5% lower at 76,728.4 and breaking a two-session winning streak. Sentiment turned cautious after a weekend flare-up in US–Iran tensions pushed up oil prices, before both sides later agreed to halt attacks and resume negotiations. Investor mood was further dampened by worries over a weak monsoon and the approaching corporate earnings season.
On the positive side, persistent selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) has moderated, though fresh buying remains limited. Selling pressure was most evident in automobile, banking and IT counters. Kotak Mahindra Bank underperformed, shedding 3.2%, after CEO and Managing Director Ashok Vaswani announced he would not seek reappointment when his term expires on December 31, 2026. Among automakers, Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti each fell more than 2% on concerns that a poor monsoon could hurt demand for agricultural and related vehicles. In contrast, notable gainers included Eternal, Trent, BEL and NTPC, all rising more than 1%.
