India’s benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled sharply on Monday, mirroring a sell-off in Asian markets and intensified global trade concerns. The Sensex plunged 762.24 points to 80,688.77, while Nifty dropped 212.25 points to 24,538.45 in early trade.

Heavyweight stocks like HDFC Bank, Infosys, Reliance Industries and Tata Steel led the decline, dragging market sentiment further down. In contrast, Adani Ports and Hindustan Unilever offered some resistance.

The panic was fuelled by US President Donald Trump’s announcement to double tariffs on steel to 50 percent, igniting fears of a prolonged trade war. Additionally, Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth ₹6,449 crore, compounding the market’s weakness.

However, India’s strong Q4 GDP growth of 7.4 percent provided a silver lining, hinting at long-term domestic strength. Experts believe the global headwinds and geopolitical tensions will weigh heavily in the near term despite robust fundamentals.