Stock market today: Nifty50 ends below 25,100; BSE Sensex down over 540 points

Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmark indices, ended in red on Thursday due to profit booking in major stocks and persistent foreign fund withdrawals.The NSE Nifty 50 decreased by 157.80 points (0.63 per cent) to 25,062.10. Stock markets declined on Thursday as the Sensex dropped 542.47 points. The index fell 542.47 points (0.66 per cent) to close at 82,184.17. During trading, it decreased by 679.42 points (0.82 per cent) to 82,047.22.Among Sensex companies, the major decliners included Trent, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, Reliance Industries, Infosys, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HCL Technologies, and NTPC.Eternal, Tata Motors, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, and Titan showed positive performance.Infosys shares declined over 1 per cent following profit booking after its quarterly results announcement.Asian markets showed positive results, with gains in South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, Shanghai's SSE Composite, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng.European markets traded positively, while US markets closed higher on Wednesday.India and the UK signed a significant free trade agreement (FTA) on Thursday, reducing tariffs on British whisky, cars, and various items, aiming to increase bilateral trade by USD 34 billion annually.Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and British counterpart Jonathan Reynold signed the agreement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer present.The FTA will benefit 99 per cent of Indian exports from tariffs and facilitate British companies' exports to India, particularly in whisky and automobiles, according to Indian officials.Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 4,209.11 crore on Wednesday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased stocks worth Rs 4,358.52 crore.Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, increased by 1.24 per cent to USD 69.36 per barrel.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market and other asset classes given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)