The SENSEX and NIFTY50 indices closed lower on Wednesday, 14 October, after a pause in the previous session. Sentiment turned cautious as crude oil crossed $106 per barrel and the wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation accelerated to 11.39% in September from 9.92% in August. The SENSEX fell as much as 617 points, while the NIFTY50 touched an intraday low of 22,558 after reaching a high of 22,758. Heavyweights such as ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Larsen & Toubro, Eternal and Bharti Airtel dragged the benchmark down.

The wholesale price index rose to 112.5 in September from 110.8 in August. Inflation in fuel and power climbed to 25.85% in September from 22.93% in August, while inflation in manufactured products increased to 9.76% from 8.37%. Brent crude futures surged close to $107 per barrel after reports suggested that the administrative office of Saudi Aramco was attacked in the eastern city of Dhahran, causing a limited fire, the Energy Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Nine of the 15 major sector gauges compiled by the National Stock Exchange ended lower, led by the NIFTY Pharma index's 1.3% fall. NIFTY Healthcare, Metal, Financial Services, Bank, Auto, Private Bank and Realty indices also fell between 0.3% and 1.25%.

Oil & gas, FMCG, IT and media shares witnessed buying interest, while the NIFTY Midcap index declined 0.08% and the NIFTY Smallcap 100 index dropped 0.32%. Transformers and Rectifiers India Limited (TARIL) shares climbed as much as 14% to an intraday high of ₹350 after its net profit in the September quarter rose 135% to ₹80 crore from ₹34 crore in the same period last year. The firm’s revenue from operations grew 61% to ₹739 crore in the September quarter, as against ₹460 crore registered in the year‑ago period. Its operating profit, or EBITDA, jumped to ₹128 crore compared to ₹52 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year.

Shriram Finance was the top loser in the NIFTY50 index, falling 3.85% to close at ₹950. HDFC Life, Bajaj Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, SBI Life, Hindalco, Dr Reddy's Labs, Bajaj Finserv, InterGlobe Aviation and ICICI Bank also fell between 1.6% and 2.85%. On the flip side, Nestle India, Tata Consumer Products, Infosys, TCS, Coal India, Tech Mahindra, Adani Enterprises, NTPC and Reliance Industries were the top gainers in the NIFTY50 index. The gains were led by consumer staples and IT giants, while the losses were concentrated in banking and financial services.

The broader markets ended lower as the NIFTY Midcap index declined 0.08% and the NIFTY Smallcap 100 index dropped 0.32%. Despite the decline, certain sectors such as oil & gas, FMCG, IT and media attracted buying interest. The day’s performance reflected a cautious stance from investors amid rising crude prices and accelerating inflation, with the SENSEX closing 252 points lower at 72,782 and the NIFTY50 closing 99 points lower at 22,623.