Stock market update, Feb. 2 -- In a historic special Sunday session coinciding with the Union Budget 2026, Indian equity markets witnessed a volatile sell-off amid a hike in the securities transaction tax (STT) on derivatives, which dampened sentiment. The Nifty 50 plunged 1.96% to settle at 24,825.45, while the S&P BSE Sensex crashed 1,546.84 points to end at 80,722.94. The advance-decline ratio skewed heavily in favour of bears, with only 6 Nifty 50 constituents ending in the green.

Sectorally, the Nifty PSU Bank and the Nifty Metal were the primary laggards, tumbling over 4% due to concerns over high government borrowing and falling global commodity prices. Conversely, IT stocks bucked the trend, gaining nearly 0.6%, following a suppo...