Mumbai, Aug 6 (Inditop.com) Heavy selling in frontline stocks in the last trading hour pulled down a key index of the Indian equities markets 2.45 percent Thursday even as its Asian peers closed in the green. The sizeable drop came after two consecutive days of consolidation.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 15,881.47 points, ended trade at 15,514.03 points, down 389.8 points or 2.45 percent.
The Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), too, shut shop in the red at 4,585.5 points, down 2.31 percent.
Broader market indices too came under selling pressure with the BSE midcap index closing 2.39 percent down, while the BSE smallcap index ended 1.29 percent lower.
All 13 sectoral indices on the BSE closed in the negative, with auto, realty and FMCG stocks coming under heavy selling pressure.
The market breadth was negative with 1,080 stocks advancing, 1,614 declining and 73 remaining unchanged.
There were only two gainers on the Sensex: Sun Pharma, up 1.53 percent at Rs.1,200.40; and Wipro, up 0.04 percent at Rs.498.25.
Among the 28 losers on the Sensex Thursday, the prominent ones were: Tata Motors, down 6.93 percent at Rs.418.30; Hindalco, down 6.5 percent at Rs.103.65; Jaiprakash Associates, down 5.53 percent at Rs.230.75; and Maruti Suzuki, down 5.34 percent at Rs.1,364.
The total traded turnover was at Rs.1,02,020.54 crore, with Rs.21,045.46 crore coming from the NSE cash segment and Rs.73,819.40 crore from the NSE futures and options. The balance Rs.7,155.68 crore came from the BSE cash segment.
According to data with the regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors sold shares worth $100.8 million Thursday.
In other Asian markets, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed in the green at 10,388.09 points, up 135.56 points from its last closing figure.
The Hang Seng, a primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, rose too, ending at 20,899.24 points, up 404.47 points.
In Europe, key market indices opened strong and were still in the positive terrain. The FTSE, a key British index, was ruling 70.03 points or 1.51 percent higher at 4,717.16 points.
Its French peer, the CAC 40, was at 3,497.51 points, 38.98 points or 1.13 percent higher than its previous close.
The German index DAX too was in the green at 5,398.09, up 0.84 percent.
