Sensex fell nearly 600 points intraday, largely wiping out ₹5 lakh crore in market value in 15 minutes.

Nifty plunged below 24,700, while Sensex hit a low of ~81,000, before staging a bounce.

By midday, both indices trimmed losses to trade around –0.4% to –0.5%, supported by FMCG stocks.

HUL surged nearly 4% post Q1 results, acting as a safety cushion.

Tata Motors shares declined ~2.5%, amid structural concerns tied to U.S. tariffs and a new Dutch subsidiary.

Ironically, mid- and small-cap indices dropped 0.5%–1%, while broader market saw selective buying.

India VIX spiked over 8%, showing heightened short-term market fear.

Traders remain cautious ahead of the U.S. Fed policy decision later today.