Sensex: Indian stock markets witnessed a sharp sell-off on Sunday as investors reacted negatively to the Union Budget 2025, disappointed by the absence of tax relief measures and a sharp hike in Securities Transaction Tax (STT).
🔴 Sensex, Nifty See Heavy Losses
As of 12:34 PM, benchmark indices were deep in the red:
- BSE Sensex plunged 1,348.50 points to 80,921.73
- NSE Nifty50 crashed 494.35 points to 24,826.30
The sell-off intensified immediately after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman concluded her Budget speech, triggering panic across sectors.
📊 Sensex Gainers and Losers Today
✅ Top Gainers
Despite the broader market weakness, a few stocks managed to hold ground:
- Sun Pharmaceutical Industries: ▲ 0.77%
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): ▲ 0.71%
- HDFC Bank: Flat (0.00%)
❌ Top Losers
Heavy selling was seen in PSU and large-cap stocks:
- Bharat Electronics Ltd: ▼ 6.50%
- State Bank of India (SBI): ▼ 3.38%
- NTPC: ▼ 3.06%
- HCL Technologies: ▼ 2.91%
- Bajaj Finance: ▼ 2.50%
💡 Why Is the Stock Market Falling Today?
🔹 STT Hike Spooks Traders
One of the key reasons behind today’s stock market crash is the government’s move to make futures and options (F&O) trading more expensive.
The Budget proposed:
- 150% hike in STT on Futures
- 50% hike in STT on Options
This step aims to curb excessive speculative trading, but it has rattled short-term traders.
🗣️ Archit Gupta, Founder & CEO, ClearTax, explained:
“The sharp hike in STT sends a clear signal that the government wants to slow down excessive short-term trading. The focus is shifting towards long-term investing and steady capital formation.”
He added that despite flat STT collections of around ₹45,000 crore, retail participation remains strong, with:
- 21+ crore demat accounts
- Record SIP inflows of ₹31,000 crore+ in 2025
⚠️ Midcap, Smallcap & Volatility Spike
Market pressure intensified across broader indices:
- Nifty Midcap 100: ▼ 1.38%
- Nifty Smallcap 100: ▼ 1.96%
- India VIX: ▲ 5.51% (indicating rising volatility)
🏭 Sectoral Performance: Mostly in the Red
Almost all sectoral indices ended lower:
- Nifty PSU Bank: ▼ 3.92%
- Nifty Metal: ▼ 2.74%
- Nifty FMCG: ▼ 1.75%
- Nifty Oil & Gas: ▼ 1.57%
- Nifty Financial Services: ▼ 1.35%
- Nifty Auto: ▼ 0.85%
- Nifty IT: ▼ 0.20%
🟢 Only Nifty Healthcare managed to stay positive, rising 0.12%.
📌 Market Outlook
The sharp fall in Sensex and Nifty highlights investor nervousness post-Budget, especially around taxation and trading costs. Experts believe volatility may persist in the near term, while long-term investors could benefit from selective buying during corrections.
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