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Markets fall for third day: Sensex down 1,100 points, Nifty below 24,500; rupee at record lowClosing Bell: Indian equities extended losses for a third session as West Asia tensions escalated, dragging the Sensex down 1,123 points, pushing the rupee to a record low and bruising midcaps.By Sheersh Kapoor  March 4, 2026, 3:49:55 PM IST (Updated)2 Min Read

Domestic equity benchmarks ended sharply lower for the third consecutive session on heightened geopolitical tensions in West Asia, with risk aversion sweeping across sectors and the rupee sliding to a record closing low.

The Sensex fell 1,123 points to settle at 79,116, while the Nifty declined 385 points to close at 24,481, slipping below the 24,500 mark. Earlier in the session, the Sensex had plunged nearly 1,700 points, or 2.24%, to an 11-month low of 78,443.2. The Nifty dropped 2.25% to a 10-month low of 24,305.4 before recovering some ground.

Market breadth remained decisively negative, with 46 of the 50 Nifty constituents ending in the red and the NSE advance-decline ratio at 1:5. As many as 27 of the 30 Sensex stocks closed lower.

The Nifty Bank index slid 1,084 points to 58,755, while the Midcap index fell over 2%, shedding 1,255 points to 56,925. Nifty Metal emerged as the worst-performing sector, though all sectoral indices ended lower except information technology.

Among key movers, Petronet LNG slumped 9% after Qatar halted LNG production. L&T extended its losing streak, falling nearly 10% over the last four sessions. JSW Infrastructure declined 2% after debris hit a storage tank at its Fujairah liquid terminal in the UAE. KRBL and LT Foods extended losses amid rice export concerns as the US-Iran conflict intensified.

On the flip side, sugar stocks bucked the trend on rising crude prices, with Balrampur Chini gaining 8%. Paras Defence rose over 8% after signing an MoU with South Korea’s Green Optics.

Meanwhile, the rupee hit an intraday record low of 92.30 against the US dollar and ended at a record closing low of 92.15 per dollar, compared to 91.47 in the previous session, reflecting sustained pressure from capital outflows and elevated crude prices.

Continue ReadingFirst Published: Mar 4, 2026 3:49 PM ISTTagsClosing BellMarkets At CloseSensex Niftyshare market today