Summary：**Sensex plunges 442 points, Nifty slips below 24,240 as top banks tumble****Introduction** Indian

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**Sensex plunges 442 points, Nifty slips below 24,240 as top banks tumble**

**Introduction**
Indian equity markets faced a sharp pull‑back on Thursday, with the BSE Sensex shedding 442.93 points (0.57 %) to close at 77,708.52 and the NSE Nifty dropping 95.80 points (0.39 %) to 24,238.50. The sell‑off was led by heavyweight banking stocks, which dragged the broader indices lower amid renewed concerns over global interest‑rate trajectories and domestic liquidity conditions.

**Key Developments**
The banking sector bore the brunt of the decline, with State Bank of India, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank each losing between 1.2 % and 1.8 %. Profit‑taking after a recent rally, coupled with weaker‑than‑expected quarterly earnings guidance from a few lenders, intensified selling pressure. Additionally, crude oil prices edged higher, raising inflation worries, while the rupee weakened marginally against the dollar, prompting foreign portfolio investors to trim exposure. The Nifty Bank sub‑index fell 1.1 %, underscoring the sector’s outsized influence on the day’s movement.

**Industry Analysis**
Analysts attribute the downturn to a confluence of external and internal factors. Globally, the Federal Reserve’s hint