Sensex Falls 143 Points, Nifty Holds 17,500 Amid Weak Global Cues

New Delhi: The key Indian equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, on Friday extended fall to the second day due to weak global cues in a highly volatile trading session.

The BSE Sensex sank 143 points to close at 58,645, while the broader NSE Nifty declined 44 points to end at 17,516.

In the broader market, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices were down 0.7 per cent and 0.45 per cent, respectively.

Out of 15, 12 sector gauges, compiled by the NSE, settled in the red. Sub-indices Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Auto underperformed the index by falling 1.92 per cent and 1.05 per cent, respectively.

Among the Sensex platform, SBI was the biggest loser as it dropped over 2 per cent. M&M, NTPC, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC, Power Grid, and RIL were the other losers, all down between 1 and 1.8 per cent.

On the upside, Sun Pharma, Asian Paints, Tata Steel, UltraTech Cement, and Bajaj Finance were the major gainers, rising up to 1.4 per cent.

In the Nifty pack, Hero MotoCorp was the top Nifty loser as the stock cracked 2.25 per cent to Rs 2,719, whereas Hindalco, ONGC, Sun Pharma, Asian Paints, and Divi’s Lab were among the gainers on the NSE index.

In the previous session, the 30-share index ended 770.31 points or 1.29 per cent lower at 58,788.02. Similarly, the NSE Nifty plunged 219.80 points or 1.24 per cent to 17,560.20.

Meanwhile, the rupee surged 18 paise to close at 74.70 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday tracking the weakness of the American currency in the overseas market.

At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened strong at 74.71 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 74.68 and a low of 74.77. It finally settled at 74.70, a rise of 18 paise over its previous close.