Bajaj stocks slide: Finance hit, Auto dips on news

Bajaj Finance becomes the key drag in the group

Bajaj Finance shares came under intense selling pressure on Friday, August 7, becoming the worst-performing Sensex constituent during intraday trade. The stock fell 5.5 percent to ₹1,086 on the BSE in that session, as cited in the social and media chatter. The move was sharp enough to erase more than ₹33,500 crore of investor wealth in just over an hour. Reported market capitalisation fell to ₹6.82 trillion from ₹7.15 trillion as on the previous day. That kind of one-hour wealth erosion is why the name quickly started trending on Reddit and finance Twitter. Posts largely framed it as a mix of regulatory risk and shifting growth expectations for large NBFCs. The fall also revived older threads about how quickly sentiment can turn in high-valuation lenders.

RBI proposal on revolving credit products adds uncertainty

One widely shared trigger was the Reserve Bank of India’s proposal affecting how NBFCs can structure credit products. As discussed, the RBI has proposed that NBFCs should offer credit products that are in the nature of term loans. The proposal also says NBFCs should discontinue revolving credit products, except for NBFCs authorised to issue credit cards. Social posts highlighted that only two NBFCs offer credit cards, named as SBI Card and BoB Cards in the circulating notes. Traders interpreted this as a potential product-level headwind for NBFC models that rely on revolving lines. The discussion was less about immediate numbers and more about the direction of regulation. Some users also pointed out that regulatory consultations can take time, but price reactions can be immediate. The common takeaway online was that product rules can change risk and profitability assumptions quickly.

Broader spillover across financial stocks and indices

The drop in Bajaj Finance did not stay isolated to one stock on the day it trended. The weakness weighed on the BSE Financial Services pack, which was down 0.96 percent intraday, according to the shared market update. Several other financial names were also quoted as trading 2-3 percent lower, including Bajaj Finserv, Tata Capital, Poonawalla FinCorp, and Edelweiss Financial Services. This made the move look like a sector trade rather than a single-company story for many retail traders watching the tape. Commentators repeatedly used the phrase “NBFCs under pressure” rather than focusing only on Bajaj Finance. The linkage to a regulatory proposal reinforced the idea of a pack-wide repricing. It also amplified the visibility of the fall because it showed up on both Sensex and sector dashboards. In short, the stock became a symbol for the day’s risk-off tone within financials.

March selloff context still shapes sentiment

The latest pressure also connected with memories of a previous drawdown that circulated widely online. One widely shared recap noted Bajaj Finance fell nearly 18 percent in March to ₹829.50, erasing over ₹1 lakh crore in value. That post attributed the pressure to oil above $100 risk, inflation concerns, and a 3.26 percent market-wide sell-off that hit NBFCs. It also stated the trigger was not company-specific and tied the fall to broader geopolitical risks. Another note said that since the start of the West Asia crisis on February 27, financial services stocks faced sustained selling due to fears that demand for credit may decline. In that narrative, Bajaj Finance was described as falling nearly 17 percent since then, eroding about ₹1 trillion in market capitalisation, with market cap cited at ₹5.19 trillion versus ₹6.19 trillion on February 27. The 52-week high was cited at ₹1,102.50 on October 23, 2025, and the stock was described as down 24 percent from that level. These reference points stayed active in social threads and influenced how traders framed downside risk.

Q2 FY26 reaction: solid profit, weaker guidance narrative

Another set of posts focused on quarterly results and forward guidance, which were repeatedly cited as a near-term catalyst in earlier declines. The shared summary said Bajaj Finance reported Q2 FY26 profit after tax of ₹4,875 crore, up 22 percent year-on-year, but slightly below an expectation of ₹4,969 crore. More important for the stock reaction, management lowered FY26 AUM growth guidance to 22-23 percent from 24-25 percent. The reason cited was stress in the MSME and captive two- and three-wheeler portfolios. Reports also said the stock fell about 7 percent on that Q2 result day, with levels around ₹1,009.75 and ₹1,003.40 quoted in different updates. Reuters-linked notes described this as the steepest single-day drop since April 2024 and mentioned the stock was the poorest performer on the Nifty 50 that day. J.P. Morgan analysts were cited as flagging customer leverage as a concern, and as expecting long-term positives to take time to show up. HSBC was also cited as raising its AUM growth forecasts for FY26 to FY28 on expectations of a rebound in new business segments and rural lending recovery.

Asset quality and credit costs: the data points traders repeated

On the asset quality side, posts repeated specific ratios and provisioning figures from the Q2 commentary. Gross NPA was cited at 1.24 percent versus 1.06 percent a year earlier, while net NPA was cited at 0.60 percent versus 0.46 percent. Loan losses and provisions were stated to be up 19 percent year-on-year to ₹2,269 crore, taking annualised credit costs to 2.05 percent of average assets. Provision coverage on Stage 3 assets was cited at 52 percent, described as a conservative stance amid emerging stress pockets. In another earnings-season recap for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, Bajaj Finance was said to have reported consolidated net profit of ₹4,765 crore, up 22 percent, with revenue at ₹19,524 crore, up 21 percent. That same recap noted net interest income at ₹10,227 crore and net total income at ₹12,610 crore, both up 21-22 percent year-on-year. It also stated credit costs were notably higher in the two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and MSME segments, with stress in the MSME portfolio becoming evident since February 25. Motilal Oswal was quoted saying asset quality saw only a marginal deterioration but MSME growth could remain subdued in FY26 due to macro headwinds.

Broker notes and rating chatter added to the pressure

Alongside the raw numbers, brokerage calls were widely reposted and debated. Bernstein was cited as reaffirming an ‘underperform’ rating with a target price of ₹640 per share, flagging elevated credit costs at 202 basis points versus guidance of 185-195 bps. UBS was cited with a ‘sell’ call and target of ₹750, pointing to rising stress in the MSME segment. Macquarie was cited with an ‘underperform’ tag and target of ₹800, with commentary around profit being in line and provisioning versus other income. These snippets became part of the social narrative because they put downside targets alongside already falling prices. At the same time, one note quoted G Chokkalingam of Equinomics Research saying the stock appears attractive for medium to long term investors, while cautioning that another 5-10 percent decline cannot be ruled out. The mix of bearish targets and selective long-term optimism is typical of how high-profile financial stocks trend online. For many retail traders, the immediate focus stayed on guidance cuts and stress pockets rather than long-term franchise strength.

Bajaj Auto also slips as cyberattack headlines circulate

Bajaj Auto also featured in the “Bajaj stocks under pressure” theme, though the trigger was different. A widely shared headline said Bajaj Auto shares fell up to 2.5 percent and became the top Nifty loser amid a cyberattack involving ransomware (June 24, 2026). Social posts also circulated a price snapshot showing ₹9,815, down ₹210 or 2.09 percent as on June 24, 2026 at 12:59. A BSE market depth screenshot from the same date showed bids around ₹9,788.10 and offers near ₹9,794.45, indicating active two-way interest during the fall. The cyberattack angle mattered because it framed the move as headline risk rather than demand or margin commentary. At the same time, older posts reminded readers that Bajaj Auto had other corporate events in the background, such as a record date announcement for a ₹5,633-crore share buyback (June 18, 2026) and a Motilal Oswal note that maintained a neutral view with a target of ₹10,025 (June 15, 2026). Another sector note cited “premiumisation, exports and rural demand” as growth pillars for FY27, which traders used to contrast fundamentals versus event risk. The net effect was that both Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Auto stayed in the same conversation, but for very different reasons.

Key numbers that kept repeating across posts

The following figures were the most frequently repeated in the circulating updates, and they explain why the stories got amplified quickly.

What market watchers are tracking next

Based on the themes in the posts, attention is split between regulation, asset quality, and event-driven risk. For Bajaj Finance and other NBFCs, the RBI proposal on revolving credit products is being treated as a key swing factor for product strategy. Separately, investors are watching whether the stress mentioned in MSME and captive two- and three-wheeler portfolios remains contained or broadens. The guidance cut to 22-23 percent AUM growth for FY26 has become a reference point for sentiment, especially when compared with the earlier 24-25 percent. For Bajaj Auto, the key near-term question raised online is whether the ransomware-linked cyberattack has any operational or disclosure follow-through beyond the initial headline. Traders also keep an eye on how quickly the stock stabilises after being labelled the top Nifty loser on that session. Finally, the broader point repeated in discussion is that the two stocks are moving for different reasons, but both are sensitive to news flow. That combination is why “Bajaj stocks under pressure” continues to trend across social feeds.