FIIs invest Rs 415 cr in weak market

Foreign institutional investors on Tuesday invested Rs 415.12 crore in equities even as the benchmark Sensex snapped a three-day winning streak and slipped 0.9 per cent in choppy trade on Tuesday,with an early drop in European markets hastening profit taking. On the other hand,domestic financial institutions booked profits by selling stocks worth Rs 152.70 crore. FIs have invested close to Rs 9,300 crore in India markets in 2009 so far while FIIs have pulled out Rs 10,300 crore. The 30-share BSE index ended down 80 points at 8,863.82. It seesawed through the day,rising at one stage by 0.9 per cent. The 50-share NSE Nifty index shed 0.71 per cent to 2,757.45. The Sensex,which had risen 9.1 per cent over the previous five sessions,is down 8 per cent in 2009 after losing more than half its value last year. RIL and HDFC that had climbed 15.5 per cent and 20.8 per cent respectively over the previous five sessions led the fall.