Sensex suffers biggest single-day fall in over 4 months; investors lose ₹8 lakh crore in one day— 10 key highlights

The Indian stock market witnessed a sharp across-the-board selloff on Thursday, January 8, mirroring weak global market sentiment. The Sensex suffered its biggest single-day fall in over four months, in percentage terms, while the Nifty 50 breached 25,900 on the downside.

A massive selloff dragged the 30-share pack Sensex to 84,180.96, down 780 points, or 0.92%. Data from Capitalmarket shows it is the biggest single-day fall of the index since August 26, 2025, when the index suffered a loss of 1.04%.

The Nifty 50 ended the day with a loss of 264 points, or 1.01%, at 25,876.85. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices crashed 2% each.

Investors lost about ₹8 lakh crore in a single session as the overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms dropped to ₹472 lakh crore from nearly ₹480 lakh crore in the previous session.

It was the fourth consecutive session of losses for the frontline indices. The Sensex has plunged 1,581 points, or 1.84%, while the Nifty 50 has declined 1.72%.

Indian stock market: 10 key highlights from the day

1. Why is the Indian stock market falling?

Renewed concerns over Trump tariffs spooked investors. According to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, US President Donald Trump has backed the Russia sanctions bill, which could raise US tariffs to at least 500% on countries that buy Russian oil.

Geopolitical uncertainties, foreign capital outflows, and caution ahead of Q3 earnings remain other key concerns contributing to the market downtrend.

"Domestic markets extended losses as sentiment turned cautious amid renewed concerns over US tariffs and persistent FII outflows, overshadowing optimism around earnings growth," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments, observed.

"Metal shares declined on profit booking following a retreat in global prices, while oil and gas stocks fell on worries over the US-Venezuela crisis. In the near term, markets are expected to remain cautious and trade range-bound, influenced by Q3 earnings and developments on US tariffs," Nair said.

2. Top gainers in the Nifty 50 index

Only four stocks- Eternal (up 0.78%), SBI Life Insurance Company (up 0.53%), ICICI Bank (up 0.50%) and Bajaj Finance (up 0.13%)- ended in the green in the index.

3. Top losers in the Nifty 50 index

Hindalco Industries (down 3.78%), Jio Financial Services (down 3.57%), and ONGC (down 3.29%) ended as the top losers in the index.

4. Sectoral indices today

All sectoral indices ended with losses. Nifty Metal (down 3.40%), Oil and Gas (down 2.84%), PSU Bank (down 2.08%), and IT (down 2%) suffered deep cuts.

Nifty Bank fell 0.51% to 59,686.50, while the Financial Services index dropped 0.65%.

5. Most active counters in terms of volume

Vodafone Idea (83.7 crore shares), Tata Silver Exchange Traded Fund (18.8 crore shares), and PC Jeweller (15.2 crore shares) were the most active counters in terms of volume on the NSE.

6. 12 stocks jump more than 15% on the BSE

Defying weak market sentiment, 12 stocks, including Jindal Photo, National Standard (India), and Global Ocean Logistics India, jumped over 15% on the BSE.

On the flip side, Heera Ispat, Captain Technocast, Sirohia & Sons, and Broach Lifecare Hospital were the four stocks that crashed more than 15% on the BSE.

7. Advance-decline ratio

Out of 4,367 stocks traded on the BSE, 1,039 advanced, while 3,158 declined. Some 170 stocks remained unchanged.

8. 113 stocks hit 52-week highs

Eicher Motors, Bajaj Auto, and AXIS Bank were among the 113 stocks that hit their 52-week highs in intraday trade on the BSE.

9. 190 stocks hit 52-week lows

UBL, Page Industries, IRCTC, Siemens Energy India, and Colgate Palmolive (India) were among the 190 stocks that hit their 52-week lows on the BSE.

10. Nifty's technical outlook

According to Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities, the zone of 25,750-25,700 will act as important support.

"Any sustainable move below 25,700 will lead to further correction up to the 25,550 level. While on the upside, the zone 26,000-26,030 will act as an immediate hurdle for the index," said Shah.

Ajit Mishra, SVP Research at Religare Broking, pointed out that the Nifty has breached the lower band of its rising channel and retested the crucial support zone around the previous swing low near 25,880.

He said sustained trading below this level could disrupt the prevailing uptrend and potentially drag the index towards the 25,600–25,700 zone.

"On the upside, the earlier support in the form of the short-term 20-day DEMA, placed around 26,050, is likely to act as an immediate hurdle, followed by a stronger resistance near 26,300. Participants are advised to maintain strict risk management in existing short-term positions amid heightened volatility and wait for clearer directional cues," said Mishra.

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Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations expressed are those of individual analysts or broking firms, not Mint. We advise investors to consult with certified experts before making any investment decisions, as market conditions can change rapidly and circumstances may vary.