Share markets in India are presently trading on a negative note. Barring consumer durables sector, all sectoral indices are trading in red with stocks in the realty sector, IT sector and energy sector witnessing maximum selling pressure.

The BSE Sensex is trading down by 180 points (down 0.5%), while the NSE Nifty is trading down by 48 points (down 0.5%). The BSE Mid Cap index and the BSE Small Cap index are trading down by 0.9%.

Speaking of the broader share markets, how has the Sensex performed compared to BSE-Midcap and BSE Smallcap during downturns?

Sarvajeet Bodas shares one of the exercises he did to check this and the results that showed up in one of the recent editions of The 5 Minute WrapUp.

Here's an excerpt of what he wrote...

• The starting point of the exercise was the economic downturn of 2008.
  
  During this time, the BSE-Sensex was down 38% compared to -54% and -59% of BSE-Mid and BSE-Small index respectively.
  
  Similarly, during the period of 'policy paralysis' of 2011-12, the large-cap index outperformed both the indices.
  
  FY16 was an exception where the large-cap index underperformed.
  
  Nevertheless, during the current calendar year, the BSE-Sensex outperformed by a wide margin and is currently giving a positive return of 6% compared to -17% and -27% of BSE-Mid and BSE-Small indices respectively.

Here's how this data looks like when plotted on a chart...

Large-Cap Index Outperformed in the Downturn

Clearly, in the face of such volatility, you need a balance of growth and safety.

Safe stocks will offer you that safety.

To get started, I recommend Tanushree's special report - 7 Stocks To Profit From This Market Crash.

If you are a StockSelect subscriber, you can read the report here.

The rupee is trading at Rs 69.94 against the US$.

The rupee climbed 30 paise in early trade today following weak crude oil prices and losses in dollar because of political uncertainty in the US.

In the last few sessions, the rupee has been strengthening against the US$. Last week, dollar came under pressure after the Federal Reserve in its policy statement mentioned that rate hike in the coming year could be restricted to two compared to earlier estimates of three rate hikes next year.

In the news from the FMCG sector, Hindustan Unilever share price (HUL) is witnessing selling pressure today after the National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) slapped a Rs 3.8 billion fine for GST profiteering.

The NAA said HUL did not pass on the benefit of GST rate cuts to the consumers. In September, the regulator had ruled that suppliers would be liable to pay penalty for not passing the benefits of GST rate reduction on the sale of goods.

Shares of the company dropped around 2% on back of the above news.

Earlier this year, the company voluntarily submitted Rs 1.6 billion as the profiteering amount to the government.

To know more about the company, you can read HUL Q2FY19 result analysis and HUL Annual Report analysis on our website.

In another news, Jubilant Foodworks share price, which operates the Domino's franchise is also witnessing selling pressure on concerns of rising employee expenses and higher base and more intense competition from food aggregators.

Shares of the company slipped 5%, extending their 10% fall in the past two trading days.

Last week, Swiggy raised $1 billion in fresh funding led by South African internet and media conglomerate Naspers. Swiggy plans to use the capital to grow its supply chain, apart from investing in new initiatives such as setting up cloud kitchens.

Reportedly, the rising scale of food aggregators poses competition for Domino's both in terms of revenue and food options.

Moving on to the news from the commodity space, oil prices are trading on a mixed note as the US benchmark rebounded from steep losses in the previous session, even though concern over the health of the global economy continued to overshadow the market in the longer term.

Global markets have been under pressure on worries about a global economic slowdown amid higher US interest rates and the US-China trade dispute.

On Tuesday, Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said that oil prices would become more stable in the first half of 2019, supported by OPEC and non-OPEC countries' joint efforts to cut output.

Oil prices have been pulled down sharply since October by signs of an economic slowdown. Meanwhile the two world's biggest economies, the United States and China, are locked in a trade war which is threatening to slow global growth and battering investor sentiment.

It would be interesting to see how this pans out. Meanwhile, we will keep you updated on all the developments from this space.