The Nifty closed at its lowest level in 30 sessions, down over 1.5% on the day, and this was not an index-only wobble. Advancers were outnumbered roughly four to one, the advance-decline ratio at 0.25 among the weakest readings of the period. Only 28% of stocks sit above their 20-day average and just 30% above their 50-day line, both near the bottom of the recent range. This is broad-based selling, not a one-stock story.
Breadth is confirming the price break, not diverging from it
52-week lows now outnumber highs by 157, the widest such gap since mid-September's washout and a sharp reversal from late August when new highs led by nearly a hundred. The Stage-2 cohort, the advancing group this screener hunts, has shrunk to 30% of the universe, its lowest share in the 30-session window, down more than four points in the last month. Five-day transition counts confirm the drift: stocks are moving from Stage 2 to Stage 3 far faster than Stage 1 names are graduating into Stage 2, and net transitions have been negative for 23 straight sessions. The regime label has sat in a neutral-to-down read for 19 sessions running now, and today did nothing to challenge that.
Energy is the one sector swimming against the tide
Every sector fell today, Utilities and Industrials worst, Information Technology least damaged. But look at trend, not just today's tape. Energy's Stage-2 share has jumped 21 points over the past month to 55%, the highest of any sector, led by names in oilfield equipment and exploration. That is a sector still building structure while everything else deflates. Health Care remains the strongest on relative strength and has the second-highest Stage-2 share, its one-month return barely negative versus double-digit-percentage drawdowns in Utilities and Financials. Both are worth tracking, but neither is a green light: golden crosses across the market have fallen to just four, tied for the lowest in a month, while death crosses have edged higher than golden crosses for the first time in this window.
Posture
The early-setup list today leans toward names in already-battered corners: hospitality, pharma, small industrials, still near their 50-day lines rather than extended. The sustained list, led by Raymond and a clutch of perfect-score industrials names, shows what has already run, not what to chase. With median setup scores at a 30-session low and breadth still deteriorating, this is a tape for selectivity and patience, not conviction buying.
| Stock | Sector | Setup | % 1D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Hotels (North) Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 8.8 | -5.7% |
| Pasupati Acrylon Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 8.3 | -4.5% |
| Wockhardt Ltd | Health Care | 7.9 | -3.4% |
| Sree Rayalaseema Hi-Strength Hypo Ltd | Materials | 7.8 | -4.2% |
| SoftTech Engineers Ltd | Information Technology | 7.8 | +3.2% |
| Strides Pharma Science Ltd | Health Care | 7.8 | -2.8% |
| Maharashtra Seamless Ltd | Industrials | 7.7 | -0.2% |
| Bhartiya International Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 7.6 | -1.0% |
| Sector | 1D | 1M | 3M | RS | Stage 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | -0.6% | -5.8% | +4.6% | 43 | 24% |
| Health Care | -1.1% | -0.5% | +6.4% | 73 | 47% |
| Consumer Discretionary | -1.4% | -4.0% | +4.4% | 59 | 31% |
| Materials | -1.5% | -3.8% | +0.5% | 64 | 36% |
| Consumer Staples | -1.5% | -3.6% | -5.1% | 48 | 32% |
| Communication Services | -1.6% | -5.4% | +2.2% | 58 | 23% |
| Financials | -1.9% | -5.8% | -5.4% | 57 | 28% |
| Energy | -2.0% | -4.4% | -3.8% | 55 | 55% |
| Real Estate | -2.1% | -4.7% | +4.5% | 54 | 19% |
| Industrials | -2.1% | -4.5% | -2.7% | 65 | 26% |
| Utilities | -2.4% | -4.8% | -10.7% | 56 | 13% |
Work the same data live: open the full stock screener, watch the live market dashboard, or check the market-timing read. New to the method? Start with the four stages.
Stage2Stocks is an educational stage-analysis screener. These wraps describe what the screen shows across NSE cash equities — they are not investment advice, recommendations, or buy/sell calls. Always do your own research.