Yields Hit a 2007 High, a Draft Rule Rocks Insurers, and the Losing Streak Reaches Seven
Nifty closed at 23,140.50, down 0.88% for a seventh straight losing week — and a single Thursday did all the damage, as US bond yields, oil and a draft insurance rulebook hit at once. Then on Saturday, with markets shut, President Trump rejected Iran's plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week.
−0.88% — seventh straight losing week
Highest since June 2007
+0.4% on the week after a $99–$108 round trip
Record one-day fall on IRDAI draft rules
- Markets. Nifty fell 0.88% and the Sensex 0.54%, a seventh straight weekly loss and the longest run since 2020. Without Thursday's 1.64% slide, Nifty would have ended the week higher.
- Bonds. The US 10-year yield hit 5.18%, its highest since 2007, and the odds of another Fed hike in October rose to about two in three.
- Oil. Brent fell below $100 on US-Iran talks, jumped to $108 after missiles were fired at a Saudi oil port, and ended the week flat. On Saturday, Trump rejected Iran's offer to reopen Hormuz.
- India. A draft IRDAI rulebook on insurance commissions wiped about ₹1.5 lakh crore off insurers, distributors and lenders in a day, and NSE listed with a gain of less than 1%.
- Money flows. Foreign investors sold ₹11,490 crore of Indian shares; domestic institutions bought ₹16,398 crore, and have bought in every session since August 11.
Seven in a Row — and One Thursday Did All the Damage
Three up days, one small dip, one brutal Thursday — and a close uncomfortably near 23,000
Nifty 50, weekly change, by week ending. Down about 5.8% in all since August 7.
| Date | Nifty 50 | Change | What Drove It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 18 Sep | 23,346.40 | Ref. | Prior week's close |
| Mon, 21 Sep | 23,414.30 | +0.29% | Oil slides on hopes for US-Iran talks |
| Tue, 22 Sep | 23,329.00 | −0.36% | IT slide ends a four-day winning run |
| Wed, 23 Sep | 23,446.80 | +0.50% | Brent dips below $99 in Asian trade; metals and FMCG lead |
| Thu, 24 Sep | 23,063.10 | −1.64% | US yields, an oil spike and IRDAI's draft hit together |
| Fri, 25 Sep | 23,140.50 | +0.34% | Value buying in banks, autos and realty |
The arithmetic is stark. Monday, Wednesday and Friday all closed higher, and without Thursday, Nifty would have gained about 178 points for the week. Instead, Thursday's 1.64% fall — the steepest since July 8, with all sixteen major sector indices in the red and India VIX up 23% — wiped about ₹4 lakh crore off the market and left Nifty at its lowest close since early April. Even after Friday's bounce, the index finished the week 206 points lower. The Sensex fell 0.54% to 73,895.74, and Bank Nifty dropped 1.38%. Coal India (+3.95%, after a Morgan Stanley upgrade), ITC and Eternal led Nifty's gainers; Bharti Airtel (−5.70%), Trent (−5.48%) and Infosys (−4.87%) were the biggest drags.
Seven losing weeks add up to about 5.8% — a steady slide rather than a collapse. If you invest through a monthly SIP, lower prices mean each instalment buys more units. A slide like this bites hardest on lump sums you'll need back soon.