Indian stock markets opened sharply lower today, tracking concerns over the U.S. H-1B visa fee hike and GST-related impacts. Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive to levy $100,000 per H-1B visa, IT stocks came under pressure, weighing on broader indices. The BSE Sensex dropped 475.16 points to 82,151.07, while the Nifty 50 slipped 88.95 points to 25,238.10, raising investor apprehensions in early trading.
Among sectoral indices, the BSE Midcap fell 262.45 points (0.56%) and the BSE Smallcap declined 193.76 points (0.35%) to trade at 54,428.28. On the Sensex, Eternal, Bajaj Finance, Adani Ports, Power Grid, and Ultratech Cement were trading in the green, with Adani Ports leading gains at 0.91%. Meanwhile, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech, and Bharti Airtel were among the laggards. Asian markets showed mixed trends, reflecting global investor caution following the U.S. visa fee hike.