Markets stay muted on F&O expiry,Mideast strain

The domestic share market closed lower in a volatile trading session on Thursday, as broad-based sectoral weakness, except in auto stocks, weighed on sentiment, dragging the Nifty below the 24,800 mark.At close, the Sensex was down 82.79 points or 0.10 percent at 81,361.87, and the Nifty was down 18.80 points or 0.08 percent at 24,793.25.
The market began on a subdued note and remained largely rangebound through the day,following the Fed's decision to keep rates unchanged while forecasting higher inflation and slower growth, kept investors cautious. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East further dampened sentiment.
Tata Consumer, Eicher Motor, M&M, Wipro, Dr Reddy's Laboratories were the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers included Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance, Shriram Finance, Tech Mahindra and Adani Enterprises.On the sectoral front,except auto, all other indices ended lower with IT, media, metal, realty, oil & gas, pharma, telecom and PSU Bank down 0.5-2 percent. Broader indices underperformed the main indices with BSE Midcap and Smallcap falling more than 1.5 percent each.
Rupee Close:
On 19 June'25,the Indian rupee depreciated 30 paise to close at 86.73  against US dollar on Thursday,its lowest level in three months,, weighed down by the strength of the American currency in the overseas markets and rising crude oil prices.Forex traders said the rupee depreciated for the third consecutive day, logging a loss of 69 paise, primarily due to prevailing risk-averse market sentiment and dollar demand from importers, fuelled by ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.Moreover, muted domestic equity markets and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also pressurised the rupee, they added.
Trading Guide: 
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments stated,the Indian equity index experienced rangebound movement with a negative bias as cautious sentiment spread across the globe, driven by concerns over potential U.S. involvement in the Middle East conflict. Investor mood was further affected by the Fed's decision to keep interest rates unchanged while signalling persistent inflation and slower economic growth, which weighed on software export stocks.Broader market performance lagged the benchmark index, influenced by selling in mid- & small-caps, while better stability was noticed in large-cap growth stocks, keeping a close watch on crude oil prices and global development
Market experts recommended five shares to buy on Thursday- Sakar Healthcare, Yuken India, DEE Development Engineers, NDR Auto Components, and Pearl Global Industries.

(Business Correspondent)