Rupees 20 lakh crore investors' wealth wiped out in freak tariff war!

A massive sell-off hit Indian markets on Monday morning after former US President Donald Trump's surprise tariff announcement rattled global investors. The 30-share BSE Sensex nosedived 3,939.68 points — a sharp 5.22% drop — to 71,425.01, wiping out a staggering Rs 20.16 lakh crore in investor wealth within hours.

All Sensex constituents were deep in the red, with Tata Steel and Tata Motors leading the fall, each crashing over 10%. Other major losers included Larsen & Toubro, HCL Technologies, Adani Ports, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, TCS, Reliance Industries, and Mahindra & Mahindra.

The combined market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies slumped to Rs 3,83,18,592.93 crore (approx. USD 4.5 trillion), reflecting the brutal hit to investor sentiment.

The bloodbath wasn’t limited to India. Asian markets were in turmoil as well. Hong Kong's Hang Seng collapsed over 11%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 7%, while China’s SSE Composite and South Korea’s Kospi both shed around 7% and 5%, respectively.

Wall Street also closed sharply lower last Friday, with the S&P 500 sliding 5.97%, the Nasdaq losing 5.82%, and the Dow falling 5.5%.

"Markets across the globe are witnessing extreme volatility due to Trump's tariff-driven uncertainty. No one knows where this will lead. It’s a wait-and-watch game for now," said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

Crude oil prices dropped as well, with Brent falling 2.76% to USD 63.77 per barrel.

On the domestic front, the BSE Smallcap index crashed 6.62%, while the Midcap index declined 5.01%. All sectoral indices were deep in the red — with metals plunging nearly 8%, industrials down 6.39%, commodities losing 6.14%, and IT sliding 5.71%.

The ripple effects of Trump’s new tariffs are being felt worldwide — and for now, markets are bracing for more volatility.