Top gainers and losers, October 21: Bajaj Finance, BSE shares drop 3%; Infosys, HCLTech gain 3%

"Indian equities surrendered a positive opening and extended their decline as selling in banks and the broader market outweighed strength in IT. The NIFTY fell 77.60 points to 22,811.35, the SENSEX declined 143.21 points to 73,709.69 and Bank NIFTY underperformed with a 511.20-point fall to 54,976.90," said Hariselvan Radhakrishnan, Founder & CEO of HST Wealth, a SEBI-registered Research Analyst firm.

He further stated that the Brent moving above $111 and the US 10-year yield rising to around 5.13% reinforced each other as fundamental headwinds.

"Expensive energy raises global inflation pressure, while higher bond yields increase borrowing and refinancing costs. If these levels persist, central banks will have less flexibility to support growth, and companies dependent on debt or domestic discretionary demand may face greater pressure on margins and earnings. A temporary decline of one or two dollars in crude would not materially change this outlook," Radhakrishnan added.

On Monday, the foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold stocks worth ₹1,148.64 crore, while the domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought equities worth ₹3,201.19 crore on a net basis, according to exchange data.

Additionally, the India VIX, the volatility gauge, spiked as much as 9.5% to hit its intraday high level of 16.17 during Wednesday’s trading session.

The SENSEX dropped as much as 0.84% to hit an intraday low of 73,229.45. Meanwhile, the NIFTY50 tumbled as much as 1.04% to touch the session’s low of 22,649.90.

On October 21, the SENSEX ended at 73,709.69, reflecting a 143.21-point or 0.19% decline, while the NIFTY50 closed lower by 77.60 points or 0.34% at 22,811.35.

NIFTY50 top gainers and losers

The 50-share NIFTY index was dragged down by selling in the shares of Bajaj Finance, which closed 3.27% lower, as analysts took note of the margin pressure for the reporting quarter, with the likelihood of the margin further compressing n in the upcoming quarters.

The company reported a 29% year-on-year (YoY) surge in its consolidated net profit to ₹6,367 crore in the July-September quarter of the 2026-27 financial year (Q2 FY27). It had clocked a net profit of ₹4,948 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

It was followed by BSE Ltd (-2.63%), Eternal (-2.45%), Eicher Motors (-2.43%), and Trent (-2.41%), which were among the top losers of the day.

On the other hand, the top gainers included Infosys (3.30%), HCL Technologies (3.21%), Tech Mahindra (3.13%), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (2.77%), and UltraTech Cement (1.87%).

"IT was the clear outperformer, supported by L&T Technology Services’ earnings, Infosys’ expanded client engagement and improving confidence in the service-based technology model. This strength was driven by company-specific earnings and deal visibility rather than a direct correlation with US semiconductor stocks," Radhakrishnan stated.

NIFTY Midcap 100 top gainers and losers

NSE’s midcap gauge, the NIFTY Midcap 100, fell by 922.10 points, or 1.58%, to close at 57,565.85 on Wednesday.

The top laggards included SRF, which closed 5.22% lower, as its EBITDA margin declined in the September quarter of FY27. The stock hit a fresh 52-week low of ₹2,260 per unit.

It was followed by Meesho (-5%), United Spirits (-4.96%), Cochin Shipyard (-4.84%) and KEI Industries (-4.76%).

On the flip side, MphasiS (3%), Persistent Systems (2.96%), NHPC Ltd (2.76%), Mankind Pharma (1.43%), and Coforge (1.35%) were among the top winners.

NIFTY Smallcap 100 top gainers and losers

The NIFTY Smallcap 100 ended at 18,487.30, reflecting a 448.45-point or 2.37% drop on October 21.

The top losers were Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd (HSCL) (-10.87%), Gallantt Ispat (-8.38%), CreditAccess Grameen (-6.96%), TD Power Systems (-6.38%), and Jyoti CNC Automation (-6.33%).

On the contrary, Firstsource Solutions (2.97%), Anand Rathi Wealth (1.67%), Tata Elxsi (1.55%), KPIT Technologies (1.44%), and Nuvama Wealth Management (1.02%) were among the top gainers.