Indian Stock Market Today Highlights: Sensex & Nifty End Lower on August 31
Indian benchmark indices surrendered early gains to close lower on Monday, August 31, 2026, ending the month on a cautious note. Re-escalating geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran pushed Brent crude back above $90 per barrel, triggering risk-off sentiment across emerging markets. Sharp selling in Adani Group shares, FMCG, and metals weighed heavily on frontline indices, offsetting gains in pharmaceuticals and selective banking heavyweights.
At the closing bell, the BSE Sensex dropped 307.23 points (-0.40%) to settle at 76,957.27. Concurrently, the NSE Nifty 50 slipped 95.25 points (-0.39%) to finish at 24,080.40, slipping below the key 24,100 support level.
Market Snapshot: Key Indices at Close
| Benchmark Index | Closing Level | Absolute Change | Percentage Change |
| BSE Sensex | 76,957.27 | -307.23 | -0.40% |
| NSE Nifty 50 | 24,080.40 | -95.25 | -0.39% |
| Nifty Bank | 57,820.15 | +525.40 | +0.92% |
| Nifty Pharma | 23,410.50 | +162.80 | +0.70% |
Top Nifty 50 Gainers & Losers (August 31, 2026)
Top Gainers
- Sun Pharma: ₹1,984.80 (+3.38%) — Led frontline gainers on defensive buying across pharma majors.
- Nestle India: ₹1,496.50 (+2.88%) — Outperformed following value accumulation in select consumer staples.
- Axis Bank: ₹1,300.00 (+2.77%) — Supported Bank Nifty’s outperformance alongside private banking peers.
- ICICI Bank: ₹1,432.10 (+0.65%) — Provided underlying support to headline indices.
- Bajaj Auto: ₹11,996.00 (+0.72%) — Advanced amid relative stability in the auto sector.
Top Losers
- Adani Enterprises: ₹2,859.10 (-9.76%) — Plunged sharply to lead the Nifty laggards list.
- Adani Ports & SEZ: ₹1,593.10 (-6.70%) — Experienced steep profit-booking across infrastructure group stocks.
- ITC Ltd: ₹255.50 (-3.95%) — Slipped under pressure across FMCG and tobacco counters.
- Tata Steel: ₹182.44 (-2.18%) — Fell in alignment with weak non-ferrous and metal realization trends.
- Infosys: ₹1,122.30 (-1.90%) — Tracked broader IT sector weakness following US rate concerns.
Key Market Drivers & Sectoral Trends
- Crude Oil Spikes: Global crude prices surged past $90 per barrel due to renewed Middle East friction, renewing inflation fears for domestic import-reliant sectors.
- FII Outflows & Rebalancing: Sustained foreign institutional investor (FII) net selling and ongoing MSCI index rebalancing adjustments led to persistent institutional supply.
- Pharma & Banking Buck Trend: Nifty Pharma and Bank Nifty ended in the green, offering key cushion against deeper index drops.
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Rupee at Close
31 Aug, 2026
The rupee closed at 95.16 against the US dollar on Monday, strengthening from Friday’s close of 95.38 per dollar.
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FII’s & DII’s Activity on 31 Aug, 2026
Net value in crores
| BUY | SELL | |
| DII | 4,588.88 | |
| FII | 7,985.88 |
Source : NSE
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