Stock Market Today LIVE Update: Equity Indices Settle Sharply Lower On Higher STT Announcement; Sensex Falls 1,546 Points

TCS, Infosys, SunPharma, and Titan closed higher from the Sensex basket, while SBI, Adani Ports, BEL, ITC, Tata Steel, and Reliance traded lower. 

The equity indices settled sharply lower as the finance minister imposed a higher Securities Transaction Tax (STT). 

Defence, PSU Banks stock declined as optimism around higher allocations faded. Meanwhile, IT heavyweights like Tech Mahindra, Infosys, and TCS turned the biggest gainers amid significant announcements for It sectors. 

The Union Budget FY27 kept markets on edge as the fiscal deficit target was pegged at 4.3 per cent, while STT on futures was raised to 0.05 per cent and on options to 0.15 per cent, a move that is likely to dent participation in F&O, according to experts. 

Domestic Sensex and Nifty dragged significantly after the finance minister proposed to raise Securities Transaction Tax to 0.05 per cent on commodity futures from 0.02 per cent.

The government will tax buyback proceeds for all types of shareholders as capital gains, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The broader market bled as soon as the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman concluded her budget speech. All the major broader indices are trading significantly down.  

The domestic equity indices crashed after the finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, concluded the budget speech.  The investors found the budget for 2026 discouraging. The Sensex fell nearly 2 percent, while Nifty 50 fell below 24,800

Pharma Stocks Trade Higher as Finance Minister announced Rs 40,000 crore for the bio-pharma sectors. 

Railways Sector stocks, including IRFC, RVNL, Rsiltel, Tatagarh Rail upto 3 per cent. Meanwhile, the Kavach segment of Indian Railways were trading higher as Shares of Quadrant Future Tek, HBL Engineering and Kernex Microsystems were trading 5 per cent, 3 per cent and 1.5 per cent higher, respectively 

Equity indices trade higher as Union Finance Minister begins budget speech. 

Defence stock surged ahead Budget as investors are anticipating a higher allocation for the sector. Experts believe that India would bet high on defence, especially after Operation Sindoor.  The Nifty India Defence index is trading higher. 

Stock Market Today: Equity Indices picked up momentum, erasing the initial range-bound mood, as investor sentiment boosted after the GST collection data announcement. The Sentiment turned optimistic as the budget time comes closer. 

Metal stock plummeted in early trade as bullion prices declined in domestic and international futures markets. 

Among Sectoral Indices, Nifty Auto, Nifty Pharma, and Nifty Private Bank are trading higher, while Nifty IT, Nifty FMCG, Nifty Metal trade lower.

Broader indices were trading lower as investors played cautiously ahead of the Budget announcement.  

The domestic equity indices trade relatively flat in early trade. Nifty Trade was slightly lower, while Sensex was flat.

The stock market opened flat in the special session on Budget Day.

The equity indices--Sensex, Nifty--are trading flat in the pre-opening session. 

The bullion prices opened sharply down on the Budget day in the domestic futures market. The MCX Silver price fell below Rs 2.75 lakh per kilogram, while the MCX gold dipped near Rs 1.43 lakh per 10 grams.

The US stock markets closed lower on Friday after US President Donald Trump announced Kevin Warsh's name for the next FED chief. Dow Jones closed 0.36 per cent lower, while Nasdaq dipped 0.95 per cent. Meanwhile, the European market remained firm.

In the Asian Market, Hang Seng and Nikkei 225 trade lower.

The Bullion prices have corrected sharply on Friday, with Silver plunging over Rs 1,00,000 per kilogram and Gold dipping over Rs 40,000 per 10 grams in the domestic futures market (MCX). With the MCX holding special session today, the prices of Gold, Silver, Cooper and other metals would be in focus. 

The decline came after the gold and silver had a massive bullish run this month amid heightened uncertainty in global geopolitical order.  

The domestic equity indices--Sensex, Nifty50--have declined for most of the trading session this week as investors turned cautious ahead of the budget and the exodus of foreign institutional investors (FIIs).    

"Pre-Budget caution continues amid persistent FII outflows, a weak rupee hovering near 92/USD, and mixed global cues. However, steady DII buying and the market’s ability to hold key support levels are offering some downside cushion. A favourable Budget reaction could trigger an upside breakout, while any disappointment or profit-booking may pull indices back towards lower support zones. Until there is clarity from the Budget, the overall bias remains cautious to neutral," an expert said.  

Metal stocks are to be in focus today after the bloodbath in the domestic and international commodity markets in the past two days. Vedanta, Hindustan Zinc, Hidustan Cooper, and other metal and mining stocks may react sharply to the mayhem that has happened in commodity markets.     

The Gift Nifty is indicating a flat opening of domestic equity indices on Budget Day 2026. It was at 25,420, up marginally 16 points or 0.06 per cent.

The domestic stock exchanges--NSE and BSE--are open today to hold a special full-hour session. The Session is scheduled specially as Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present union budget for the financial year 2026-27 at 11:00 AM. 

The Sensex and Nifty are expected to trade volatily as expectations and caution around reform and policy announcements would drive the mood of investors and traders.