Sensex Sheds 634 Points For 3rd Straight Day, Nifty At 17,757

Investors have lost Rs 6.56 lakh crore in wealth in a three-day sharp plunge on Dalal Street, with the Mcap of the BSE-listed firms falling to Rs 273 lakh crore from Monday’s Rs 280-lakh crore mark

New Delhi: The key domestic equity benchmarks on Thursday extended their loss for the third straight session to close below 60,000-mark.

Tracking losses in index majors Infosys, TCS, and RIL amid a fresh sell-off in European markets. The continued flight of foreign capital from Indian markets also affected the market sentiment, traders said.

The 30-share BSE index ended 634.20 points lower at 59,464. Similarly, the NSE Nifty plunged 181.40 points to 17,757.

Investors have lost around Rs 6.56 lakh crore in wealth in a three-day sharp plunge on Dalal Street, with the market capitalisation (m-cap) of the BSE-listed firms falling to Rs 273 lakh crore from Monday’s Rs 280-lakh crore mark.

Bajaj Finserv was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 4.57 per cent, followed by Infosys, TCS, Sun Pharma, HCL Tech, HUL, Dr Reddy’s, HDFC, and Reliance Industries.

On the other hand, PowerGrid, Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints, Maruti, and ICICI Bank were among the gainers.

Meanwhile, Asian Paints' consolidated net profit fell 18.5 per cent to Rs 1,031.29 crore for the third quarter ended December 2021.

In other Asian markets, bourses in Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo ended with gains, while Shanghai closed in the red.

Stock exchanges in Europe were witnessing intense selling pressure in mid-session deals.

International oil benchmark Brent crude declined 1 per cent to $87.56 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market, as they sold shares worth Rs 2,704.77 crore on Wednesday, according to stock exchange data.

Meanwhile, the rupee on Thursday slipped 7 paise to close at 74.51 (provisional) against the US dollar, tracking a lacklustre trend in the domestic equity market.

Forex traders said sustained foreign fund outflows and firm crude oil prices weighed on the local unit. Moreover, investors remained cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve's meeting due next week.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 74.43 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 74.29 and a low of 74.53 during the session.

The rupee finally settled at 74.51, down 7 paise over its previous close of 74.44.