The Indian stock market stumbled on Monday, as the Nifty 50 slipped 124.70 points (0.49%) to close at 25,202.35, and the BSE Sensex tumbled by 466.26 points (0.56%) to end at 82,159.97. The slide was triggered largely by a sharp sell-off in major information technology stocks, which collectively shed about $10 billion in market value following Washington’s announcement of a hefty $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications.
Despite the bruising session—its second straight day in the red—the mood wasn’t entirely grim as optimism bubbled up around ongoing US-India trade negotiations. Gift Nifty futures were seen trading at 25,256.5 early Tuesday morning, suggesting a flat-to-steady open for the benchmark indices.
US-India Trade Talks and New GST Rates in Focus
Investor sentiment is now riding on Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to the US for his first round of negotiations since the new tariffs and visa fee hikes rattled corporate India. Market watchers say any positive signals from these discussions—with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio already stressing the importance of strong bilateral ties—could help steady nerves on Dalal Street.
Analysts are also eyeing recently announced goods and services tax (GST) cuts that took effect Monday. These cuts may provide some relief to sectors hit by global uncertainties and counterbalance the impact of higher visa costs for IT firms.
Stocks to Watch: Analyst Picks for Tuesday
For traders looking for opportunities amid volatility, several experts have put forward eight intraday picks: NBCC (India) Ltd, Eternal Ltd, Finolex Cables Ltd, JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Patanjali Foods Ltd, Enviro Infra Engineers Ltd, Intellect Design Arena Ltd, and EFC (I) Ltd.
Globally, Asian markets traded higher while Wall Street posted record closing highs across all three major indexes—the Dow Jones rose 66 points to finish at 46,381.54, S&P 500 gained 29 points to reach 6,693.75, and Nasdaq climbed nearly 158 points to hit 22,788.98.
Looking ahead, most analysts expect Indian equities to consolidate after their recent run-up and Monday’s dip. With volatility likely to dominate as traders react to international developments and policy changes at home, level-based strategies are being recommended over aggressive bets.
