Benchmark indices ended a volatile trading session nearly flat on Wednesday amid lingering geopolitical concerns.

At close, the Sensex slipped 0.06%, or 46.14 points, to settle at 80,242.24, while the Nifty edged lower by 0.01%, or 1.75 points, to end at 24,334.20.

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In the broader markets, the BSE Midcap index closed 0.72% lower at 42,883.72, while the BSE Smallcap index declined 1.74% to settle at 47,400.31.

On the Nifty 50, 15 counters ended in the green and 35 in the red, with HDFC Life Insurance, Maruti Suzuki, and SBI Life Insurance emerging as top performers, gaining up to 4%. Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Trent, Tata Motors, and State Bank of India were the top laggards, shedding 3-6% each.

Among the sectors, the Nifty PSU Bank pack was the worst hit, declining 2.23%. The Nifty Bank index lost 0.55%, while Nifty Financial Services slipped 0.31%.

Nifty Media closely trailed, with a loss of 2.18%, while the FMCG, IT, and metal packs also closed in the red, losing between 0.05% and 0.35%.

On the other hand, the Nifty Realty index surged 1.91% to emerge as the best-performing sector on the NSE. Nifty Pharma gained 0.44%, while Nifty Auto eked out gains of 0.04%.

HDFC Life, a leading private sector life insurer, gained more than 4% to hit a 6-month high after the company posted a 16% YoY growth in net profit at Rs 475 crore.

Shares of public sector lender SBI fell 3% even as the bank said it is looking to raise money through equity in the financial year ending March 2026.

Adani Green Energy shares fell more than 2% even as Emkay Global Financial remained bullish on the stock, issuing a ‘Buy’ rating.

Stock markets will remain closed on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in observance of Maharashtra Day, also known as Maharashtra Divas.

Participants are closely monitoring forthcoming corporate earnings, updates on US-India trade negotiations, and geopolitical issues. In Asian markets, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index rose by 0.6% to reach 36,045.38.