Sensex fall 332 pts, Nifty below 23,800 on escalating West Asia crisis

The domestic share market ended on a weak note with Nifty below 23,800 on Friday,as traders weighed inflation and growth outlook amid elevated oil prices. At close, the Sensex was down 331.62 points or 0.43 percent at 76,059.77, and the Nifty was down 102.15 points or 0.43 percent at 23,767.45. 
HCL Technologies, Wipro, Cipla, ITC, HDFC Life were the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers included Bajaj Finance, Eternal, M&M, Shriram Finance, Bharti Airtel.On the sectoral front,the Nifty Auto tumbled 1 per cent and became the worst performer. The Nifty Realty and the Nifty Pharma also underperformed.The Nifty Media and the Nifty IT outperformed.The broader markets also recovered from their intraday lows, with the Nifty Midcap 100 ending on a flat note, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 closed 0.3 percent lower.
Rupee Close:
On 24 Jul'26,the Indian rupee recovered 18 paise to close at 96.55 (provisional) against the U.S. dollar on Friday, amid likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), according to agency reports.A combination of factors, including heightened tensions in West Asia, Foreign Institutional Investor outflows, and sustained negative sentiments at the domestic equity markets, maintained pressure on the local unit, according to forex traders.
Trading Guide:
Market experts recommended five shares to buy on Friday: Kabra Extrusion Technik, Ask Automotive, Pricol, Nuvama Wealth Management, and Manali Petrochemicals.

(Business Correspondent)