The Indian stock market witnessed a mixed but cautious day today on October 23, 2025, with major indices closing marginally higher after losing most intraday gains. Investors are cautious and remain careful about global signals and domestic company results, resulting in moderate volatility during the day.
Sensex and Nifty Close Flat
BSE Sensex closed 130 points or 0.15% higher at 84,556, while the Nifty 50 closed almost flat with a gain of 22.8 points or 0.09% at 25,891.4. Although initial trading saw the Sensex going past 85,000 levels, profit booking during the afternoon cut out most of the gains. Market breadth was negative, with about 1,692 shares rising, 2,299 falling, and 121 remaining unchanged on the NSE.
Key Movers: Gainers and Losers
Among the leading gainers, IT majors such as Infosys (+1.4%), HCL Technologies (+3.12%), and Tata Consultancy Services (+2.47%) fared well on the back of better quarterly earnings and upbeat sectoral sentiments. Financial scrips such as Shriram Finance and Axis Bank also made modest gains. On the negative side, heavyweight stocks such as Eternal, Interglobe Aviation, Bharti Airtel, Tata Consumer Products, and Eicher Motors fell, dragged down by profit unwinding and sectoral challenges.
Sectoral Performance
IT industry headed the list, increasing almost 2% on the strength of strong earnings and sentiment on digital transformation spend. Private banking index increased marginally by 0.5%, and Oil & Gas sector trailed down by 0.6% due to apprehensions over crude price volatility. Sectors like FMCG and Pharma remained pretty much flat with slight fluctuations.
Mid Cap and Small Cap Stocks Performance
The BSE Midcap index saw a marginal dip, falling marginally, whereas the Small Cap index lost around 0.4%, which indicates investor reticence towards riskier constituents in view of international uncertainty. Stocks such as Vardhman Textiles (+9.16%), Gulshan Poly (+9.53%), Birlasoft (+8.59%), and Apex Frozen (+8.95%) were some of the key midcap gainers of the day that showcased selective buying interest.
Expert Insights
Market gurus attribute the recent volatility to a defensive posture in anticipation of upcoming global economic data and the Federal Reserve policy meeting. The technical indicators indicate that Nifty levels are stuck with a resistance of 26,000, and a clear break above it could prolong the bull run towards 26,200-26,300. Defensive leaders such as IT and private banks, however, could remain in favor during the uncertain period. Analysts also cite better corporate profits as a dominant driver but suggest keeping a close watch on global indicators and crude oil prices.
Nutshell
Indian markets overall closed the day nearly flat, offsetting IT and financial sector gains against consumer and energy sector pressures. Investors seem selective, holding on to fundamentally robust mid and large caps, but remaining guarded on small caps. The market sentiment looks to clearer directional indications from global macroeconomic trends and domestic earnings momentum in the next sessions.
