Benchmark equity indices erased initial gains and ended lower for the fourth straight session today as investors booked profits amid geopolitical uncertainty in West Asia, elevated bond yields, and the corporate earnings season. Concerns over fading rate cut hopes and persisting FII fund exodus from domestic equities also dampened investors’ sentiment. The BSE Sensex plunged 455 points or 0.62 per cent to close at 72,489, while the Nifty-50 declined 152 points or 0.69 per cent to settle at 21,996. From the Sensex basket, Nestle India, Titan, Axis Bank, NTPC and Tata Motors were the major laggards.
On the other hand, Bharti Airtel, Power Grid, Infosys and Larsen & Toubro were among the gainers. In the broader market at the BSE, the Midcap sector fell 0.40 per cent, while the smallcap sector ended in the green with a marginal gain of 0.06 per cent. In sectoral indices at the BSE, the Consumer Durables sector declined 1.52 per cent, the Energy index fell 1.30 per cent, and the Healthcare sector slipped 1.23 per cent. In contrast, the Telecommunication index rose 1.62 per cent and the Teck sector gained 0.70 per cent.
In the forex market, the rupee closed at 83 rupees and 54 paise against the US dollar today. The dollar index, which indicates the US dollar’s strength against a basket of six other leading currencies was down at 105.89 in intra-day trade.
