The Indian equity benchmarks experienced significant declines on Monday, with the SENSEX falling as much as 1,163 points and the NIFTY50 index touching an intraday low of 23,845. As of 1:29 pm, the SENSEX was down 856 points at 76,472 and the NIFTY50 index declined 230 points to 23,949. The market weakness was attributed to crude oil price spikes following failed talks between Iran and the United States, along with a falling rupee against the US dollar. According to reports, losses in index heavyweights including Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Titan, and Eternal contributed significantly to the benchmark decline.
Niva Bupa Health Insurance shares experienced a remarkable surge, rising as much as 7.97% to hit an intraday high of ₹89.77 following strong quarterly results. The company's profit surged 80% in Q4, driving significant investor interest. According to market data, the stock was witnessing very high trading activity with volumes jumping 32 times to 4.70 crore shares compared with an average volume of 14.80 lakh shares. The company's revenue of operations rose 20% annually to ₹724 crore, while Niva Bupa continued to strengthen its position in the retail health segment with market share improving to 10.1% at the close of FY26, representing a 76 basis points increase over FY25.
Birla Corporation shares came under buying interest following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to increase public transportation use and reduce fuel consumption amid rising crude oil prices. The company reported full-year consolidated cement sales at a record high of 18.72 million tons, backed by substantial volume growth in sales of blended as well as premium cement. According to the company's press release, Birla Corporation achieved capacity utilization of 95% for the full year, against an estimated industry average of around 70%. Trading volume in the stock jumped 14 times to 9.65 lakh shares compared with an average trading volume of 70,156 shares, with the stock coming under buying interest following the PM's appeal for sustainable transportation solutions.
Affle 3i shares experienced significant trading activity with trading volume jumping 16.5 times to 55.23 lakh shares compared with an average volume of 3.34 lakh shares. On the BSE, 78,000 shares changed hands compared with an average of 6,164 shares traded daily in the past two weeks. JBM Auto shares saw trading volume jump 13 times to 12.17 lakh shares compared with an average volume of 95,932 shares, with the stock gaining following Prime Minister Modi's appeal for sustainable transportation solutions. According to market watchers, investors are viewing the PM's appeal as a positive signal for companies linked to public mobility and electric transportation, with JBM Auto through its electric bus business being a key beneficiary of India's growing focus on sustainable and mass transit solutions.
