The North News
New Delhi, April 7
Asian stock markets suffered a sharp sell-off on Monday, as tremors from US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff stance sent shockwaves through global financial systems. From Shanghai to Tokyo, and Sydney to Hong Kong, markets opened in the red — plunging within minutes of the bell. “It’s a bloodbath,” the BBC reported, as benchmark indices reeled from fears of a full-blown trade war and a looming recession in the world’s largest economy.
Back home, Dalal Street mirrored the carnage. Both the Sensex and Nifty 50 tumbled nearly 5%, falling to nine-month lows and triggering widespread panic across sectors. The Nifty Volatility Index (VIX), a barometer of investor fear, spiked by more than 50%, reflecting the scale of uncertainty roiling traders, The Financial Express reported.
Tech and metal stocks were the worst hit, with the Nifty IT Index dropping 6% and the Nifty Metal Index down a staggering 7%. Small-cap and mid-cap indices fared even worse, amplifying the market rout. The market capitalisation of all listed firms on the BSE plummeted by Rs 19.4 lakh crore, wiping out a massive chunk of investor wealth in just hours. By midday, total market value stood at Rs 383.95 lakh crore.
According to Money Control, Rs 16.19 lakh crore in investor wealth was erased in Monday’s session alone, fuelled by anxieties over tit-for-tat tariff escalations between the US and China. As major manufacturing hubs, Asian economies remain exposed to the direct fallout of tariffs and the broader implications of a global slowdown.
The Sensex plunged 3,939.68 points (5.22%), hitting an intraday low of 71,425.01. Meanwhile, the Nifty fell by 1,160.80 points (5%) to 21,743.65 — the sharpest one-day drop since June 4, 2024, and its worst opening since the COVID-era crash in March 2020.
