Fed’s Split Vote Hits Indian Markets, Sensex Opens Lower

Mumbai, July 30 – Indian shares opened on Thursday in the red after the Federal Reserve decided to keep policy rates unchanged. The Sensex fell 151 points, or 0.20%, to 77,502, while the Nifty dropped 37 points, or 0.15%, to 24,213 at 9:15 a.m. local time.

The early weakness was driven by a sell‑off in real‑estate stocks; the Nifty Realty index slipped more than 0.5%. Other indices that opened lower included Nifty Private Bank, Nifty Media, Nifty Financial Services, Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Energy, Nifty Infra and Nifty Services. Sectors such as IT, pharma, auto, healthcare, FMCG, manufacturing and oil & gas managed modest gains.

Top performers on the Sensex were Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, TCS, Sun Pharma, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid, Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv, Maruti Suzuki and HDFC Bank. Laggards featured Asian Paints, Eternal, Indigo, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, BEL, Kotak Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, Trent, L&T and Titan.

Analysts said that the Fed’s decision was expected but the divided 9‑3 vote — with three members favouring a rate hike to tame inflation — signalled that future tightening is possible. The split spurred a rise in bond yields and contributed to a 2% decline in the S&P 500, weighing on global equity sentiment.

They added that while the Indian market appears poised for a breakout, several risks remain, especially heightened U.S.–Iran tensions that have pushed Brent crude toward $90 a barrel.

In Asia, Tokyo and Jakarta posted gains, whereas Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Seoul ended lower. The U.S. market closed down on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones falling 2.19% and the Nasdaq slipping 1.74%.