SENSEX Drops Over 1,000 Points as PNB, Ixigo, and Others Rally Amid Global Weakness
On Monday, October 19, the Indian benchmark indices fell sharply, with the SENSEX dropping 1.25% to 73,796.60 and the NIFTY50 falling 1.17% to 22,875.60. The SENSEX had already slipped to an intraday low of 73,771.06, a 1.3% fall, while the NIFTY50 touched a session low of 22,861.05, a 1.23% decline. The fall was driven by weak global cues, a sell‑off in private bank, financial services and IT stocks, and a 3% drop in Brent crude oil prices, which remained above $105 per barrel.
Despite the market downturn, Punjab National Bank (PNB) shares surged as much as 7.7% to an intraday high of ₹125.22 per equity share. According to a regulatory filing, the bank reported a standalone net profit of ₹5,532 crore in the second quarter of FY27, a 12.8% year‑on‑year rise from ₹4,904 crore a year earlier, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of profit growth. PNB’s net interest income rose 10.8% YoY to ₹11,601 crore, and its gross non‑performing assets fell to 2.42% of total advances from 3.29% last year.
Ixigo operator LE Travenues Technology also posted a strong rally, with its shares climbing 14.9% to ₹165.99 per equity share. The company recorded a consolidated net profit of ₹61.25 crore in Q2 FY27, turning a year‑on‑year loss of ₹3.17 crore into a profit. Consolidated revenue from operations rose 12.9% YoY to ₹320.96 crore, and gross transaction value increased 22% YoY to ₹5,304.47 crore. The rally reflected investors’ focus on the company’s robust quarterly results.
Union Bank shares gained up to 5.5% to ₹181.20 per unit, reporting a net profit of ₹5,537 crore in the quarter ended September 2026, a 30% YoY increase from ₹4,249 crore. Net interest income jumped 20% to ₹10,583 crore, and gross non‑performing assets fell to 2.42% of total advances. Meanwhile, Axis Bank shares fell as much as 5% to ₹1,225.30 per unit after its net profit narrowly missed analyst estimates of ₹7,124 crore, with rising bond yields and rupee volatility weighing on treasury income.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) shares advanced 1.67% to ₹3,687.70 per unit after a regulatory filing revealed that the Public Spaces, Airports & Health business secured a Limited Notice to Proceed for the New Tashkent International Airport in Uzbekistan. The order, worth more than ₹15,000 crore, follows an engineering, procurement & construction contract awarded to L&T for the passenger terminal and associated landside infrastructure. The development is expected to boost L&T’s order book and reinforce its presence in the airport construction sector.
Other notable movements included HDFC Bank shares falling 2.6% to ₹710.05 after reporting a 5% YoY rise in net profit to ₹19,510 crore. Urban Company shares tumbling 9.4% to ₹143.28 after widening its net loss to ₹182.48 crore. HFCL shares hit the 5% upper circuit at ₹268.81 after its consolidated net profit jumped nearly fivefold to ₹394 crore, with revenue rising 143% YoY to ₹2,541 crore. The day’s volatility was marked by a 6.4% rise in the India VIX to an intraday high of 14.92.