After opening under the 26,000 mark, the benchmark index Nifty 50 gave way to selling pressure, while the 30-share Sensex pack tumbled 500 points on October 30. Globally, sentiment remained cautious after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 basis points while signaling the possibility of a pause in further easing this year.

The Nifty struggled to hold higher levels, with persistent selling dragging it lower, leading the index to close at 25,877.85 - down 176.05 points or 0.68 percent. Meanwhile, Sensex closed at 84,404.46, lower by 592.67 points or 0.70 percent on its monthly expiry.

The market breadth was firm in favour of the bears, as about 1,808 shares advanced, 2,167 shares declined, and 147 shares were unchanged. On the broader market front, the losses were moderated as the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 index fell 0.1 percent each.

Sectoral indices ended mostly in the red, with healthcare, financial services, and pharma stocks leading the decline. The Nifty Healthcare Index slipped 0.81 percent, while financial services and private bank indices fell around 0.7 percent each. IT, FMCG, and auto also witnessed moderate losses.

On the other hand, Nifty Realty was the only gainer, inching up 0.13 percent, while consumer durables and oil & gas indices saw marginal dips. Overall, market sentiment remained subdued across key sectors.

Among the prominent decliners, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Power Grid Corp and Bharti Airtel all fell over 1 percent.