Bloodbath Continues At Dalal Street, Sensex Nosedives 700 Points, Nifty Tests 25,600

Indian equity markets began Friday's session on a negative note. Both benchmark indices traded sharply lower in the pre-open session, mirroring overnight losses on Wall Street and lingering concerns over AI-led disruption in technology stocks.

As of 9:01 AM, the BSE Sensex stood at 83,108.49, down 566.43 points or 0.68 per cent, while the NSE Nifty50 was at 25,538.35, lower by 268.85 points or 1.04 per cent, signalling a gap-down opening.

The negative pre-open cues follow a steep sell-off in US markets on Thursday, where the technology-heavy Nasdaq slumped 2 per cent as investors intensified their exit from tech shares and transport stocks amid worries about artificial intelligence-driven disruption.

During the opening bell, the Sensex breached 83k, crashing close to 700 points, and the Nifty nosedived more than 200 points and tested 25,600, around 9:15 AM.

On the Sensex portal, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, SBI, and Maruti emerged among the only gainers in the morning. On the other hand, Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech, Tech M, and HUL opened trading among the laggards.

In the broader markets, the Nifty Smallcap100 index bled 1.50 per cent. Sectorally, the IT and Midsmall IT & Telecom indices led the board in red and tanked 4.52 per cent and 2.55 per cent respectively.

Mumbai, Feb 13 (IANS) Indian equity markets opened sharply lower on Friday, with technology stocks bearing the brunt for a second straight session amid global concerns that rapid advances in artificial intelligence could disrupt traditional IT business models.

At around 9.25 am, the BSE Sensex was down 672 points, or 0.80 per cent, at 83,002, while the NSE Nifty fell 207 points, also 0.80 per cent, to trade at 25,600.

AI Disruption Fears Weigh On Sentiment

Market participants attributed the continued slide in IT stocks to fresh concerns that advanced AI tools could automate core services that currently account for a large portion of revenue for Indian IT firms.

The recent launch by Anthropic of “Claude Cowork,” an AI assistant capable of handling complex enterprise workflows, has intensified fears that automation plug-ins may reduce demand for traditional outsourcing and services-led models.

Analysts said these developments have heightened uncertainty around future growth prospects for Indian technology companies, prompting investors to trim exposure to the sector.

Global Weakness Adds To Pressure

Asian markets traded mostly lower, tracking sharp declines on Wall Street. China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.66 per cent and Shenzhen declined 0.65 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.72 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 1.77 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi, however, edged up 0.33 per cent.

US equities ended broadly in the red overnight, with the Nasdaq tumbling 2.04 per cent. The S&P 500 declined 1.57 per cent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.34 per cent, as investors intensified their selloff in technology stocks.

Institutional Flows Provide Limited Support

On the institutional front, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 108 crore on February 12. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also remained buyers, purchasing shares worth Rs 277 crore, according to exchange data.

Despite these inflows, global cues and sector-specific headwinds kept sentiment fragile at the opening bell, with investors likely to remain cautious amid continued volatility in technology shares and broader risk-off trends.

Sensex, Nifty Slide On IT Sell-Off In Previous Session

On Thursday, domestic equity benchmarks ended sharply lower, dragged down by heavy selling in information technology stocks. The Sensex fell 558.72 points, or 0.66 per cent, to close at 83,674.92. During the session, the index dropped as much as 716.97 points, or 0.85 per cent, to hit an intra-day low of 83,516.67.

The Nifty declined 146.65 points, or 0.57 per cent, to settle at 25,807.20.

With Wall Street witnessing sharp losses, particularly in technology stocks, and pre-open indicators pointing to significant weakness, investors are likely to remain cautious at the opening bell on Friday, closely tracking global risk sentiment, AI-driven volatility and institutional flows for direction.