Sensex Dips 350 Pts, Nifty Near 25,500: RBI, FII Outflows, Global Cues Drive Market Decline

• Indian benchmark equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, continued their slide for the second consecutive session on Friday.
• Sensex declined 343.43 points (0.41%) to 82,970.50, while Nifty fell 131.40 points (0.51%) to 25,511.40.
• Key factors contributing to the decline include the RBI's decision to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, significant FII outflows, and weak global market cues.
• IT and pharma sectors were major laggards, with IT stocks extending losses due to global tech correction and AI-related cost concerns.
• Rising crude oil prices also added to inflationary pressures and widened India's trade deficit, impacting market sentiment.