Indian shares fell for the sixth straight session on Monday, their longest losing streak since October 2023, as worries over corporate earnings and the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment.
The Nifty and Sensex have lost about 5.6% and 5.2%, respectively, since hitting record high levels on Sept. 27, with volatility rising steadily, due to concerns over the escalation of geopolitical tensions and as foreign investors withdrew funds, likely to invest in China.
The pullback was exacerbated by some disappointing corporate financial updates that kindled worries ahead of the upcoming season.
"It appears the waters may get a bit turbulent for Indian equities in the short term," Motilal Oswal Financial Services said in a note.
"The recent escalation in the Middle East conflict only adds fuel to the fire, while corporate earnings are likely to moderate in the September quarter."
The volatility index rose to 15.08, a one-month high on Monday.
The broader, more domestically focused small- and mid-caps slid 2.75% and 2%, respectively.
"The valuations in (this) space seem overstretched and hence investors are booking profits more in those segments compared to the benchmarks," said Abhishek Goenka, founder and CEO of IFA Global.
The IT index advanced 0.7% and was the only one among the 13 major sectors in the green as a healthy U.S. jobs report allayed fears of a recession. IT firms earn a bulk of their revenue from the U.S.
Among IT stocks, LTIMindtree and Mphasis rose about 2.3% and 1%, respectively after J.P.Morgan upgraded the stocks to "overweight".
Titan Company fell 2.2%. Investec said the jewelry maker's financial update could indicate muted profit growth and margin contraction.
Federal Bank dropped 4.9% after reporting its quarterly deposit growth moderated sequentially, while RBL Bank shed 3.6% on reporting a sequential fall in loan growth.