Equity benchmarks ended lower on Thursday as markets struggled to maintain momentum despite encouraging economic indicators. The Sensex fell 200.85 points or 0.27 per cent to close below the 74,000 level at 73,828.91, while the Nifty 50 dropped 73.30 points or 0.33 per cent to 22,397.20.

“Shortened trading week and sell-off in the US short market are providing a hiccup to the global market. However, India is withstanding with resilience and healthy outperformance, by a narrow negative trend,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

Top gainers

State Bank of India (SBIN) led the advances, gaining 0.67 per cent to close at ₹727.75, driven by strong investor interest in banking stocks. ICICI Bank followed, rising 0.62 per cent to ₹1,250.25.

NTPC gained 0.48 per cent, settling at ₹331.70, supported by steady power sector demand. Sun Pharma added 0.45 per cent to ₹1,683.85, while Tata Steel rounded out the top gainers with a 0.37 per cent increase, closing at ₹150.85.

Top losers

Zomato was the biggest laggard, dropping 1.97 per cent to ₹201.40, weighed down by profit booking. Tata Motors slipped 1.95 per cent to ₹655.40.

IndusInd Bank fell 1.84 per cent, closing at ₹672.10, while Asian Paints declined 0.98 per cent to ₹2,228.95. Bajaj Finance shed 0.94 per cent, ending at ₹8,410.00.

The losses were led by selling pressure in auto and financial stocks, while banking and power stocks offered some support.