Over six-month low: Sensex falls another 287 points

The BSE Sensex ended 287.15 points lower at 33,847.23, the weakest closing since April 10, when the 30-share gauge had settled at 33,880.25. Similarly, the NSE Nifty dropped 98.45 points to end at 10,146.80 — its lowest closing since April 4.

Business news, sensex, sensex opening trade, bse sensex, nifty, stocks and shares, india rupee value, US dollar, indian express

However, the rupee bounced back from the day’s low level to settle almost flat at 73.57 against the US currency aided by easing crude oil prices and increased dollar selling by banks and exporters.

Stock markets fell for the fourth session in a row to hit their over six-month low levels as concerns over rupee depreciation, global trade war woes and geo-political tensions hit the sentiment. The BSE Sensex ended 287.15 points lower at 33,847.23, the weakest closing since April 10, when the 30-share gauge had settled at 33,880.25. Similarly, the NSE Nifty dropped 98.45 points to end at 10,146.80 — its lowest closing since April 4.

However, the rupee bounced back from the day’s low level to settle almost flat at 73.57 against the US currency aided by easing crude oil prices and increased dollar selling by banks and exporters. Crude oil prices fell 1.93 per cent to $ 78.29 per barrel, arresting the rupee’s decline.

Geo-political concerns over death of a Saudi journalist, Brexit and likely breach in Italy’s budget also kept investors cautious. “Profit booking in IT & Pharmaceuticals stocks dragged the indices lower today. These two sectors were holding their ground recently while overall markets corrected. Investors choose to book some profits here as the tailwinds of depreciating currency are slowing,” said VK Sharma, Head PCG & Capital Markets Group, HDFC Securities.

Story continues below this ad

The overall market sentiment remained weak largely in line with other Asian markets, tracking overnight losses at the Wall Street as caution grew ahead of a slew of earnings reports this week. Asian Paint was among worst performer in the Sensex pack, falling 5.21 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma at 5.07 per cent after the company reported a 14.76 per cent fall in its consolidated net profit to Rs 506 crore for the September quarter Monday.

Among sectoral indices, the BSE IT index suffered the most by falling 2.79 per cent, followed by teck (2.48 per cent, healthcare (2.34 per cent), FMCG (1.18 per cent), auto (0.73 per cent), capital goods (0.69 per cent), metal (0.69 per cent), oil&gas (0.33 per cent) and infrastructure (0.33 per cent).

Tags:
BSE Sensex

What driver who took finance ministry officer to hospital said about ‘madam driving BMW’

Cities3 hr ago

A BMW rammed into a motorcycle, killing Navjot Singh, a Finance Ministry official, and injuring his wife. Mohammad Gulfam, a passerby, rushed them to a private hospital after the car driver asked him to. The driver, Gaganpreet Makkar, and her family were also admitted to the same hospital. Police have booked Gaganpreet for culpable homicide and attempting to destroy evidence.

View all shorts

Live Blog