After starting the day on a negative note, the benchmarks dragged further as the session progressed and ended the day on a weak note.

India's stock market was trading lower on Monday, 24 February. The weakness in stock markets was primarily due to mixed global sentiment and a weak handover from the US markets owing to Donald Trump's tariff concerns and its impact on the US economy, reports of a new bat coronavirus in China, and fresh tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

At the closing bell, the BSE Sensex stood lower by 847 points (down 1.1%).

Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty closed lower by 243 points (down 1.1%).

M&M, Eicher Motors, and Hero Motocorp were the top gainers today.

Wipro, TC,S and ONGC on the other hand, were among the top losers today.

The GIFT Nifty ended at 22,599 down by 192 points.

The BSE Mid Cap ended 0.8% lower and the BSE Small Cap index ended 1.3% lower.

Barring the FMCG sector and auto sector, sectoral indices are trading on a negative note with stocks in the media sector, the metal sector, and the telecom sector witnessing selling pressure.

The rupee is trading at 86.72 against the US$.

Gold prices for the latest contract on MCX are trading 0.3% higher at Rs 86,230 per 10 grams.

Meanwhile, silver prices are trading 0.3% lower at Rs 95,877 per 1 kg.

Here are four reasons why Indian Markets are falling today.

#1 Continued FII Selling

Foreign investors have pulled out over Rs 237.1 bn from the Indian equity markets so far in February, pushing total outflows past Rs 1 tn in 2025 amid rising global trade tensions.

They pulled out Rs 780.3 bn in January. With these, the total outflow by FPIs has reached Rs 1,017.4 bn in 2025 so far, data with the depositories showed. Concerns around the continued selling of Indian equities by foreign institutional investors is weighing on market sentiment.

#2 Slowing US GDP growth

US consumer sentiment fell more than expected in February, hitting a 15-month low of 64.7. Further, inflation expectations surged as households expressed concern that Trump's proposed broad and steep tariffs could undermine their purchasing power.

Further, S&P Global data on Friday showed US business activity dropped to a 17-month low in February

#3 Geopolitical Concerns

Another reason markets were down on Monday was due to concerns surrounding the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia on Sunday hit Ukraine with its largest single drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, which was launched on 24 February 2022.

#4 External Headwinds

According to analysts, from an external perspective, the weakness in the rupee, a fall in the US dollar reserves, weak third quarter results, and a widening trade deficit also weighed on the markets.
 

Adani Power to Acquire Vidarbha Industries Power

Adani Power has received a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the acquisition of Vidarbha Industries Power Ltd (VIPL) from the resolution professional overseeing its insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. The Committee of Creditors of VIPL has approved Adani Power's resolution plan for the company.

VIPL, a Maharashtra-based power company, operates a 600 MW (2x300 MW) thermal power plant located in the MIDC Industrial Area, Butibori, Nagpur.

Meanwhile, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has announced multi-sectoral investments exceeding Rs 1.1 trillion (tn) in Madhya Pradesh. These investments are expected to generate over 1.2 lakh jobs in the state by 2030.

Adani Power (APL) is a part of the diversified Adani Group. It's the largest private thermal power producer in India.

The company, along with its subsidiaries, sells power generated under a combination of long-term and short-term power purchase agreements (PPA) and on a merchant basis.

Glenmark Pharma Jumps 3%

Moving on to news from the pharma sector, shares of Glenmark Pharma rose over 3.5% on February 24 after the company announced a settlement of multiple antitrust and consumer protection lawsuits against its US subsidiary.

Glenmark Pharma confirmed that Glenmark USA has agreed to settle the lawsuits for a total of $7 million with plaintiffs, including Humana, Centene, and Kaiser. However, the company clarified that the settlement does not imply any admission of guilt.

The lawsuits, consolidated in Virginia, involved antitrust claims, including a class action related to Glenmark's generic version of Zetia, a cholesterol-lowering drug. Additionally, four lawsuits also involved Vytorin, a combination drug containing Zetia.

The plaintiffs had alleged that Glenmark engaged in anti-competitive practices in 2010 in a patent dispute over ezetimibe, the active ingredient in Zetia.

They claimed that Glenmark, along with companies such as Schering Corporation, MSP Singapore, and Merck & Co., entered into an anti-competitive agreement to settle patent infringement litigation involving the drug.

It's a leading player in the pharmaceutical industry, primarily focused on the development and manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

The company specialises in providing a wide range of high-quality APIs across various therapeutic areas, including oncology, cardiovascular, and central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

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