New Delhi: Sensex and Nifty, two key equity benchmarks, on Monday extended their decline for the second straight session tracking weak global sentiments.
The indices, which started trade with sharp plunge, later recouped some of the losses. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 365 points to 54,470, while the broader NSE Nifty sank 110 points to 16,301.
On the BSE, Reliance was the top loser. Nestle India and IndusInd Bank tanked 3 per cent each. Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, SBI, Hindustan Unilever, ITC and, Axis Bank were the other major losers.
On the flip side, PowerGrid Corporation and HCL Technologies zoomed over 3 per cent each. Infosys jumped nearly 2 per cent. Maruti, Bajaj Finserv, and HDFC were other other prominent gainers.
Among specific stocks, Reliance slumped over 4 per cent after the conglomerate on Friday posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 16,203 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Q4 FY22), up 22.5 per cent over the year-ago period’s Rs 13,227 crore, but slightly short of expectations.
In the broader markets, midcap and smallcap shares finished weak as Nifty Midcap 100 slumped 1.78 per cent and smallcap dived 2.12 per cent.
On NSE, 14 out of the 15 sector gauges settled in the red. Sub-indexes Nifty FMCG, Nifty Metal, and Nifty Consumer Durables underperformed the index by falling as much as 1.47 per cent, 2.03 per cent and 1.55 per cent, respectively. However, Nifty IT closed a bit higher.
On the BSE, the overall market breadth stood negative as 1,049 shares advanced and 2,416 declined.
On Friday’s trading, Sensex fell 867 points (1.56 per cent) to close at 54,836, while Nifty had moved 271 points (1.63 per cent) down to end at 16,411.
In the Asian markets, Tokyo and Korea were trading lower, while Shanghai traded marginally higher.
“Asian markets got off to a shaky start on Monday as US stock futures took an early skid on rate worries, while a tightening lockdown in Shanghai stoked concerns about global economic growth and possible recession,” told Deepak Jasani, head of retail research, HDFC Securities.
In the US, stock exchanges had fallen on Friday.
Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude gained 0.46 per cent to $112.92 per barrel.
According to stock exchange data, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) again offloaded shares worth Rs 5,517.08 crore on Friday.