ANKUR TYAGI
Indian stock markets opened lower on Friday, September 26, 2025, marking the sixth straight session of declines. Weakness in pharma shares weighed heavily on sentiment after fresh tariff threats from the U.S., coupled with persistent FII outflows and weak global cues.
Indices at Open
- BSE Sensex: Down 240 points (–0.30%) at 80,919.
- NSE Nifty50: Dropped 86 points (–0.35%) to 24,805.
The slide was led by pharma counters, with the Nifty Pharma index losing 2.18%.
Why Pharma Stocks Sank
U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 100% tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs, along with steep duties on furniture, cabinets, and trucks starting October 1. The news triggered sharp selling in pharma counters:
- Natco Pharma: –4.08%
- Sun Pharma: –3.54%
- Gland Pharma: –3.44%
- Cipla: –1.81%
- Dr. Reddy’s: –1.29%
Sectoral Snapshot
Other major losers included:
- Nifty IT: –1.07%
- Nifty Consumer Durables: –0.59%
- Nifty PSU Bank: –0.53%
- Nifty Media: –0.51%
The broader market also mirrored the decline:
- Nifty Midcap 100: –0.67%
- Nifty Smallcap 100: –1.02%
FII–DII Activity (Sept 25 Data)
- FIIs: Net sellers of ₹4,995.42 crore.
- DIIs: Net buyers of ₹5,103.01 crore.
Despite domestic inflows, overseas selling pressure continued to dominate.
Global Market Cues
Asian stocks tracked Wall Street losses:
- Nikkei: –0.1%
- Hang Seng: –1%
- Taiwan Weighted: –1.63%
- Kospi: –2.2%
- Shanghai Composite: –0.33%
In the U.S., indices closed lower for a third straight session as rate cut expectations weakened:
- S&P 500: –0.5%
- Nasdaq: –0.5%
- Dow Jones: –0.38%
Market Breadth
Out of 2,630 stocks traded on NSE in early deals:
- 397 advanced
- 2,170 declined
- 63 remained unchanged
Additionally, 30 stocks hit 1-year highs, while 78 touched 52-week lows. Volatility edged up, with India VIX rising 2.08% to 11.01.
Nifty50 Top Movers
Losers:
- Sun Pharma: –3.20%
- Cipla: –1.81%
- Asian Paints: –1.31%
- Dr. Reddy’s: –1.29%
- Infosys: –1.07%
Gainers:
- Larsen & Toubro: +1.39%
- Tata Motors: +0.75%
- Eicher Motors: +0.71%
- JSW Steel: +0.71%
- ITC: +0.37%
Bottom Line
Tariff jitters from the U.S. rattled pharma stocks, dragging benchmark indices lower. With persistent foreign selling and global uncertainty, market volatility is expected to stay elevated in the near term.
Abhishek Sinha
