Indian stocks closed Friday’s session on May 15 in the red after a volatile trading day that erased all the early gains in the benchmark indices and pushed them lower toward the close.
While IT and select consumer goods stocks provided some support to the markets, strong selling pressure in financial and metal stocks outweighed the gains, dragging the headline indices into negative territory.
The Nifty concluded the session with a modest drop of 0.18% at the 23,646 level, while the Sensex ended at 75,210, a 0.25% drop from the previous close. The broader market, too, remained under pressure, with Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Small cap 100, each falling over 0.50%, underperforming the key averages.
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Indian stocks closed in the red on May 15th due to selling pressure in financial and metal stocks, a volatile trading day, and a record low for the Indian rupee against the US dollar. Concerns over economic slowdown and sustained selling by overseas investors also contributed to the decline.
On May 15th, Nava, HUDCO, and Muthoot Finance were among the top losers after their Q4 results. Hindustan Copper also saw significant losses. Jaiprakash Power Ventures and Kirloskar Oil Engines were among the top gainers, along with Saregama India and Carborundum Universal.
On May 15th, the Nifty closed with a modest drop of 0.18% at 23,646, and the Sensex ended at 75,210, a 0.25% drop. For the week, both indices closed with losses, ending their two consecutive weeks of gains.
Shares of HUDCO declined 7.5% to ₹206 apiece following negative reactions to its Q4 results. Muthoot Finance also saw its shares fall by 6.2% to ₹3,311 apiece due to lower-than-expected Q4 performance.
Recent analysis suggests a bearish setup for the Nifty 50, with lower tops forming on the daily chart and resistance at the 20 EMA. A breach below 23,500 could lead to further declines towards 23,150, while 23,800 acts as a key short-term resistance.
In terms of weekly, the Nifty 50 and Sensex each closed with losses of 2.22% and 2.65%, ending their two consecutive weeks of gains.
Meanwhile, the Indian rupee fell to another record low, weakening to 96.14 against the US dollar and extending its streak of historic lows in recent sessions as a stronger greenback and elevated crude oil prices continued to weigh on sentiment.
Sustained selling by overseas investors has further added to the currency’s woes, as they continue to pull money out of domestic equities amid concerns over an economic slowdown. As per the NSDL data, FPIs have sold over ₹2.20 lakh crore worth of Indian stocks in 2026 so far, higher than the ₹1.66 lakh crore in entire 2025.
The rupee has weakened nearly 2% against the dollar over the last six sessions. While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken multiple measures to slow the pace of depreciation, the currency has continued to slide to fresh record lows, with the Street increasingly worried that it could weaken to 100 against the dollar this year.
Nava, HUDCO and Muthoot Finance slump after Q4 results
Nava came under severe selling pressure, falling 10.7% to ₹628 apiece and emerging as the top laggard among NIFTY 500 stocks after the company’s March quarter performance failed to impress the Street. Likewise, shares of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) also reacted negatively to Q4 results, declining 7.5% to ₹206 apiece.
Lower-than-expected Q4 performance also dragged down shares of Muthoot Finance by 6.2% to ₹3,311 apiece, while Hindustan Aeronautics fell 5% to ₹4,386 per share despite reporting profit growth in the March quarter, as concerns over delayed Tejas Mk1A deliveries and weaker profitability weighed on investor sentiment.
Heavy selling was also witnessed across metal stocks amid concerns that the US Federal Reserve may keep interest rates higher for longer, strengthening the US dollar. Losses were led by Hindustan Copper, which plunged 6%, while Hindustan Zinc, Welspun Corp., Steel Authority of India, Hindalco Industries, and National Aluminium Company (NALCO) declined more than 3% each.
In addition, shares of Vedanta, Tata Steel, NMDC, and Jindal Steel and Power ended the session lower by 1.7% to 2.3%.
Jaiprakash Power, Kirloskar Oil Engines lead gainers
In terms of top performers, shares of Jaiprakash Power Ventures and Kirloskar Oil Engines posted strong gains of 9.4% and 9%, respectively. Extending its winning streak to the third consecutive session, Saregama India gained another 8% to close at ₹415 apiece.
Carborundum Universal and Tata Motors DVR shares closed with sharp gains of 6% and 5.2%, respectively, following their March-quarter results.
Other stocks including Pfizer, Latent View Analytics, Welspun Living, Triveni Turbine, Vijaya Diagnostic Centre, Chalet Hotels, Solar Industries India, United Spirits, KPR Mill, and Bharti Hexacom also ended the session with gains of over 3.5% each.
Disclaimer: We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
