Sensex Slides 511 Points, Nifty Closes Below 25,000; HCLTech Sheds 2%

Sensex Falls Over 500 Points, Nifty Slips Below 25,000 as IT Stocks Drag on Geopolitical Jitters.

Indian stock markets closed sharply lower on Monday, weighed down by rising tensions in the Middle East and weakness in information technology stocks. The benchmark Sensex fell 511.38 points to end at 81,896.79, while the Nifty50 lost 140.50 points, settling below the psychological 25,000 mark at 24,971.90.

Geopolitical Tensions Rattle Markets
The decline came after reports of a U.S. airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, which dashed hopes of a diplomatic pause in the Israel-Iran conflict. The surprise escalation triggered a spike in crude oil prices and sent investors into risk-off mode.

“Markets had priced in some de-escalation, but the airstrike disrupted those expectations,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. “Still, the recovery in capital goods and metals helped limit the downside.”

IT Leads Market Decline
IT stocks were among the worst hit, following weak global tech outlook and disappointing earnings from Accenture.

Infosys fell 2.29%

HCL Technologies dropped 2.10%

Larsen & Toubro declined 2.11%

Other major laggards included Mahindra & Mahindra (-1.59%) and Hindustan Unilever (-1.29%).

Select Stocks Buck the Trend
Despite the broader weakness, some stocks outperformed:

Trent surged 3.61%

Bharat Electronics Limited rose 3.15%

Bajaj Finance gained 1.20%

Kotak Mahindra Bank and Bajaj Finserv posted modest gains

Mixed Sectoral Picture
While the Nifty IT index fell 1.48%, dragging the market, several other sectors remained resilient:

Nifty Media jumped 4.39%

Consumer Durables, Metals, Oil & Gas, and Pharma ended marginally higher

Broader indices outperformed: Nifty Midcap 100 rose 0.36%, Smallcap 100 gained 0.70%

On the downside, Nifty Auto, FMCG, Healthcare, Financial Services, and Private Bank closed in the red.

Meanwhile, the India VIX—a measure of market volatility—rose 2.74%, reflecting increased caution among investors.