Indian stocks takebreather over profit booking, Sensex down 721 pts

Indian stocks on Friday took a breather after a three-day rally, with analysts partially attributing it to profit booking. Sensex closed at 79,223.11 points, down 720.60 points or 0.90 per cent, while Nifty closed at 24,004.75 points, down 183.90 points or 0.76 per cent. Among the sectoral indices, Nifty bank, IT, pharma, healthcare, and financial services were the top losers today, NSE data showed. Indian stock indices were on a strong footing at the start of 2025. The Sensex and Nifty rallied both on January 1 and January 2. On Thursday, benchmark indexes logged their best session in six weeks.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Thursday notified amendment in the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023. The key objective of the amendments is to encourage the participation of all stakeholders in the decision-making process before introducing or changing policy and procedures affecting the importation, exportation, and transit of goods along with a reasonable opportunity to comment and contribute in the process.
As per experts, the latest amendments in the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023 reflect upon the Central Government’s commitment towards strengthening the scope of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in India by encouraging stakeholder and expert participation through consultation in the decision-making process. 

(Business Correspondent)