FX.co ★ Sensex Finishes Lower

India’s BSE Sensex closed about 0.5% lower at 76,887 on Tuesday, giving up Monday’s gains amid continued foreign institutional investor (FII) selling, mixed corporate earnings, elevated crude oil prices, and persistent geopolitical uncertainty. Banking stocks came under pressure after the RBI finalized its Expected Credit Loss (ECL) provisioning framework. Effective April 1, 2027, the new rules require banks to move from an incurred-loss model to a forward-looking approach, under which they must set aside provisions based on anticipated stress in their loan books rather than waiting for actual defaults. State-owned banks are expected to be hit harder than private lenders, which already maintain more conservative provisioning practices and contingency buffers. Among major names, Axis Bank declined 2.7%, SBI lost 1.9%, ICICI Bank fell 1.8%, and HDFC Bank slipped 1%. Elsewhere, Maruti Suzuki retreated 2.5% after reporting a quarterly profit decline. Oil & gas stocks advanced in line with firm crude prices, while metal counters registered modest gains.