Stock market today: Nifty50 ends below 25,700; BSE Sensex down over 240 points

Stock market today: Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmarks, extended losses for a second straight session on Wednesday, weighed down by selling pressure in IT, consumption and select banking heavyweights amid rising geopolitical tensions. Persistent foreign fund outflows and fresh uncertainty linked to tariffs further dampened investor sentiment, traders said.The BSE Sensex closed 244.98 points, or 0.29 per cent, lower at 83,382.71. The index had fallen as much as 442.49 points, or 0.52 per cent, to 83,185.20 during intraday trade. The NSE Nifty also ended in the red, declining 66.70 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 25,665.60.Among Sensex constituents, Tata Consultancy Services, Asian Paints, Maruti, Sun Pharma, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank and Larsen & Toubro emerged as major drags. In contrast, Tata Steel, NTPC, Axis Bank and UltraTech Cement closed higher.On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 1,499.81 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors provided support with net purchases of Rs 1,181.78 crore, according to exchange data.Overseas cues were mixed. Asian markets largely finished higher, with gains in South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, while China’s Shanghai Composite ended lower. European equities were trading in positive territory, whereas U.S. markets closed lower overnight.In the commodities market, Brent crude slipped 0.99 per cent to USD 64.82 per barrel. In the previous session, the Sensex had declined 250.48 points, or 0.30 per cent, to 83,627.69, while the Nifty eased 57.95 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 25,732.30.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)