The trends on Gift Nifty also indicate a positive start for the Indian benchmark index. The Gift Nifty was trading around 23,303 level, a premium of nearly 40 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close.

Sensex lost 329.92 points or 0.43 per cent to end the week at 76,190.46. The Nifty 50 index fell 113.15 points or 0.49 per cent to close at 23,092.20. The Nifty Pharma and Oil & Gas indices dropped more than 2 per cent each.

The equity benchmarks experienced a sell-off, with Sensex and Nifty falling by nearly half a per cent on Friday. This decline came after a two-day rally, as market sentiment turned cautious, leading to a pullback in stock prices following a period of upward movement.