Benchmark BSE Sensex declined by 287 points on Wednesday due to profit selling in HDFC Bank, L&T and Reliance Industries shares and caution ahead of the impending US tariff deadline.

Paring its early gains, the BSE Sensex closed lower by 287.60 points or 0.34 per cent at 83,409.69. During the day, it dropped 546.52 points or 0.65 per cent to 83,150.77. The 50-share NSE Nifty declined by 88.40 points or 0.35 per cent to settle at 25,453.40. Flight of foreign capital from equities and a mixed trend in global equities impacted market sentiment, traders said.

Among Sensex pack, Bajaj Finserv, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, Bharat Electronics and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the major laggards. However, Tata Steel, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement, and Trent were the biggest gainers.

“Mixed global cues, particularly ahead of the impending tariff deadline, are driving investor caution. Market attention is gradually shifting to crucial Q1 earnings, which have high expectations. “Underlying trends such as robust macroeconomic fundamentals and increased government expenditure continue to support market resilience. However, being at the breach level of the recent rally, a cautiousness is expected to continue in the near term,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

The BSE smallcap gauge declined 0.20 per cent and midcap index dipped 0.18 per cent. Among BSE sectoral indices, realty dropped 1.36 per cent, financial services (0.92 per cent), industrials (0.84 per cent), power (0.77 per cent), bankex (0.69 per cent) and capital goods (0.69 per cent). Metal (1.44 per cent), consumer durables (1.22 per cent), commodities (0.90 per cent), telecommunication (0.55 per cent) and auto (0.22 per cent).

As many as 2,205 stocks declined while 1,809 advanced and 157 remained unchanged on the BSE. India’s manufacturing sector growth rose to a 14-month high of 58.4 in June, marked by improved trends in output and new orders, alongside a record upturn in employment, a monthly survey said on Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index – an indicator of sector performance - was 57.6 in May. Gross GST collection increased by 6.2 per cent to over Rs 1.84 lakh crore in June but slipped below the Rs 2 lakh crore mark recorded in the previous two months. The GST mop-up stood at Rs 1.74 lakh crore a year ago, as per government data released on Tuesday.