Indian stock markets experienced a decline on Friday, May 16, 2025, as profit booking and selling pressure in heavyweight stocks weighed on the benchmarks. The Sensex fell by approximately 200 points, closing around 82,330, while the Nifty 50 index dropped about 42 points to close near 25,020. Key laggards included Bharti Airtel, SBI, IndusInd Bank, Bharat Electronics, Adani Enterprises, and ITC. Despite the overall market softness, railway sector stocks saw a notable rally, with shares of companies such as Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), IRCON International, Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC), Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), and BEML gaining between 10% and 11% on Friday. This surge was driven by optimism around the restart of railway orders, including a major Rs 115.79 crore order approval from Central Railway for RVNL. The rally in railway stocks contributed to broader mid-cap and small-cap market gains, with the Midcap Index recording its biggest weekly gain in two months, up 7%. Realty and media sectors also showed strength, while IT and metal sectors faced selling pressure. Overall, the market witnessed a strong week with the Nifty and Sensex both rising about 4%, reclaiming key levels after several months. The positive momentum was supported by foreign institutional investors' renewed buying interest.