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Stock Market Meltdown: 20 Lakh Crores Wiped Out, Sensex at 18-Month Low!
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News18•01-10-2026, 16:49
Stock Market Meltdown: 20 Lakh Crores Wiped Out, Sensex at 18-Month Low!
- •Indian stock market witnessed a significant downturn on Thursday, with Sensex hitting an 18-month low and Nifty closing below 22,500.
- •Investors' wealth plummeted by approximately 20 lakh crore rupees this week, with 12 Nifty large-cap stocks reaching 52-week lows.
- •Rising crude oil prices, increasing US bond yields, and large-scale selling by foreign investors are key drivers of the market decline.
- •This marks one of the longest downturns in 25 years, with September being one of the worst months for Nifty.
- •Massive fundraising through IPOs and block deals, coupled with rupee depreciation, added pressure on the market.
Key Questions Answered
The steep market crash was triggered by multiple domestic and global factors, including rising crude oil prices reaching $100 per barrel, soaring US bond yields, continuous large-scale selling by foreign institutional investors, and concerns over potential interest rate hikes.
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, the BSE Sensex hit an 18-month low by dropping to 71,292.88 during intraday trading before closing at 71,909.70, while the NSE Nifty touched 22,217.30, coming very close to its 52-week low, and closed at 22,421.95.
So far in 2026, foreign investors have sold shares worth approximately 2.50 lakh crore rupees from the Indian stock market, including a withdrawal of about 36,000 crore rupees in September alone.
