The combined market capitalisation of six of India’s top-10 most valued companies declined by ₹64,734.46 crore in a holiday-shortened week, with Bharti Airtel emerging as the biggest laggard, reflecting broader weakness in the equity markets.
During the week, benchmark indices remained under pressure. The BSE Sensex fell by 263.67 points, or 0.35 per cent, while the NSE Nifty declined 106.5 points, or 0.46 per cent.
According to Ajit Mishra, SVP (Research) at Religare Broking Ltd, markets closed lower for the sixth consecutive week, slipping by nearly half a percent amid heightened volatility driven by a mix of global and domestic factors. He noted that the week began on a weak footing due to escalating US-Iran tensions and a spike in crude oil prices, which triggered widespread selling pressure.
However, markets saw a mid-week recovery as geopolitical concerns eased and oil prices softened. Despite this rebound, volatility remained elevated due to fluctuating global cues, persistent foreign institutional investor outflows, a weakening rupee, and inflation-related worries.
Among the laggards, Bharti Airtel saw its valuation drop sharply by ₹29,993.07 crore to ₹10,20,420.26 crore. ICICI Bank lost ₹12,845.81 crore, taking its valuation to ₹8,70,705.49 crore, while Bajaj Finance shed ₹11,169.36 crore to ₹5,14,226.12 crore.
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The market capitalisation of HDFC Bank declined by ₹7,822.79 crore to ₹11,56,195.90 crore. Hindustan Unilever also saw a dip of ₹2,349.59 crore, bringing its valuation to ₹4,85,190.60 crore. Meanwhile, State Bank of India registered a relatively smaller decline of ₹553.84 crore, with its market cap at ₹9,41,015.31 crore.
In contrast, four companies posted gains during the week. Tata Consultancy Services led the gainers with an increase of ₹22,359.78 crore, taking its valuation to ₹8,87,028.43 crore. Infosys added ₹12,374.76 crore to reach ₹5,27,409.43 crore, while Larsen & Toubro rose by ₹6,575.43 crore to ₹4,97,111.62 crore.
Reliance Industries also recorded gains, with its market capitalisation increasing by ₹3,518.45 crore to ₹18,28,034.07 crore, retaining its position as India’s most valued company.
In the overall rankings, Reliance Industries continued to lead, followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, State Bank of India, Tata Consultancy Services, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, and Hindustan Unilever.
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