Sensex & Nifty Decline for 5th Straight Day | Market Close Report 24 July 2026

Today, 24 July 2026: Sensex closed at 76,059.77, down 331 points, marking the fifth straight fall. Auto and metal stocks dragged the indices lower as elevated crude oil prices and Iran tensions weighed. HCLTech was the top Nifty gainer; Bajaj Finance the top loser. For SIP investors, a five-session dip of this magnitude is routine — not a reason to pause your SIP.

What happened in the markets today

On Friday, 24 July 2026, the Sensex today closed at 76,059.77, down 331.62 points or 0.43%, extending its losing streak to a fifth straight session. The Nifty 50 fell 102 points to settle at 23,767.45, also down 0.43%. Selling pressure was concentrated in auto and metal stocks, while IT and media shares offered partial support. Brent crude remained elevated following US-Iran tensions earlier in the week, keeping inflation and trade-balance concerns alive for Indian markets. The rupee traded at 96.53 against the US dollar, broadly flat from the previous session.

Why did Sensex fall today? Selling in auto and metal stocks, combined with elevated crude oil prices after US-Iran tensions, dragged the indices lower for a fifth straight session.

Movers: IT stocks gain, auto and finance stocks drag Nifty 50

Top Gainers

Today’s Nifty 50 gainers were HCLTech, Wipro, and Cipla, all IT and pharma names that benefited from a flight to defensive sectors.

Top Losers

Today’s Nifty 50 losers were Bajaj Finance, Eternal, and M&M, with auto and financial services leading the decline.

IT stocks dominated the gainers list — HCLTech and Wipro both advanced on the back of a weaker rupee making dollar-denominated revenues more valuable. Bajaj Finance share price today fell 2.60%, leading the losers. Auto and financial services bore the brunt of the selling pressure, with M&M dropping over 2%.

In the news

• India forex reserves — reserves rose $1.08 billion to $676.24 billion in the week ending 17 July, reflecting continued inflow of foreign capital.
• Railway expansion — the government approved two additional railway lines in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (46 km network) at a total cost of ₹1,264 crore.
• ICICI Bank — raised $1 billion through senior unsecured notes at a 5.459% coupon, with a 5-year tenure maturing 30 July 2031.
• L&T — its heavy engineering arm won large orders (₹2,500–5,000 crore) in international markets, including refinery projects for Dangote Group in Nigeria and Ethiopia.
• Shriram Finance Q1 results 2026 — net profit surged 59.89% year-on-year to ₹3,452.77 crore in the Apr–Jun quarter, beating Street expectations.
• Bank of Baroda Q1 results 2026 — net profit fell 48.60% year-on-year to ₹1,783.29 crore after it paid $600 million to settle disputes with NMC Group entities, charging the amount to the same quarter.
• Hindustan Zinc — net profit rose 144.81% year-on-year to ₹5,469 crore in the Apr–Jun quarter.

Term of the day — Interim Dividend

An interim dividend is a payment a company makes to shareholders while the financial year is still ongoing, typically alongside its quarterly results. This is separate from the final dividend, which is declared after the year ends. A company’s total annual dividend is the sum of all interim payments plus the final dividend. For SIP investors, companies that consistently pay interim dividends tend to signal confidence in their cash flows — a useful filter when evaluating fund holdings.

What it means for SIP investors

Five straight red sessions can test any investor’s patience. The good news: a one-week drop of around 2% in the Nifty is a routine pullback, not a crisis. The broader mid-cap and small-cap indices held relatively steady, suggesting this was a targeted sell-off rather than broad-based panic. If days like these make you question whether to pause or stop your SIP, remember that market dips are precisely when your fixed monthly amount buys more units at lower prices — the very mechanism that makes SIPs work. Here’s the data on why: continue SIP during market crashes. If you’re wondering whether your current fund mix can handle volatility like this, a quick review of how to build a mutual fund portfolio might help.

Returns snapshot — 1-day & long-term

1-Day Returns

Long-Term Returns (20-Year CAGR)

Sensex today, 24 July 2026 closed at 76,059 — a fifth red session, but a minor dip in a long-term SIP journey that has delivered 10.56% annualised returns over 20 years.