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The NSE Nifty dropped 2.12%, or 546.80 points, to close at 25,250.10. The BSE Sensex fell 2.10%, or 1,769.19 points, to close at 82,497.10. This is the highest fall in a day since August 5. Apart from JSW Steel and ONGC, all other Nifty stocks closed lower on Thursday. Both indices have declined over 3% in 5 sessions.

Japan’s MUFG has re-entered the race to acquire a majority stake in Yes Bank after its proposal to invest in HDB Financial was rejected. MUFG has submitted a non-binding offer and is conducting due diligence, negotiating mainly with Yes Bank and SBI.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Tuesday increased the minimum contract size in index derivatives to Rs 15 lakh from the current Rs 5 lakh, making options trading costlier. At the same time, it reduced weekly index product offerings to just one per exchange, seeking to curb frenzied speculation among retail traders.

The local unit weakened 14 paisa for the fourth consecutive day and ended at 83.96 per US dollar, versus its previous close of 83.82/$1, LSEG data showed. Likely central bank intervention kept the local currency from crossing the 84/$1 mark, traders said.

Domestic advances surged by 12.51% to reach Rs 9.39 lakh crore in the recent quarter, while deposits grew by 7.14% to hit Rs 11.50 lakh crore. Retail advances saw a significant jump of 20%, reaching Rs 2.32 lakh crore. This indicates strong growth in lending and deposit activity.

While investors in smaller Indian cities (beyond the top 30) are increasingly investing in mutual funds, they still represent just 19% of total assets under management. This suggests that although participation is rising, the average investment size from these regions remains lower compared to larger cities.

Reaching a 52-week high is a notable achievement for a stock, as it signifies the highest price attained within the past year.

Avenue Supermarts (DMart) reported 14% growth in standalone revenues for Q2 FY25. Total stores increased to 377. The company aims to add 45 stores in FY25. In Q1 FY25, DMart clocked 17% growth in net profit and 19% growth in revenues.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded Indian equities worth Rs 15,243.27 crore on Thursday, causing the S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty to drop by over 2%, despite robust buying from domestic institutional investors (DIIs), who were net buyers with purchases totaling Rs 12,913.96 crore.

Wall Street opened lower on Thursday after a moderate rise in jobless claims sparked worries about the health of the labor market, while cautious investors kept an eye on the Middle East for any escalation in hostilities.