Stock market today, July 18 -- The benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced a significant decline on Friday due to foreign fund withdrawals and a lackluster beginning to the quarterly earnings season, which negatively affected investors' mood. Analysts noted that the sentiment surrounding banking stocks is particularly cautious following Axis Bank's recent financial results, which did not meet market expectations.

The 30-share Sensex plummeted by 651.11 points or 0.79% to reach 81,608.13 during the trading day. Similarly, the 50-share Nifty 50 fell by 192.8 points or 0.76% to settle at 24,918.65.

Prashanth Tapse from Mehta Equities suggests that if the Nifty 50 remains below 25,000, it may swiftly drop to 24,800 or even lower, mak...