Indian benchmark indices fell sharply in the final hour of trade on Thursday, with the Sensex declining 539 points and the Nifty slipping below the 24,100 mark.
Heavy selling in blue-chip HDFC Bank and persistent geopolitical uncertainty weighed on investor sentiment, triggering a sharp sell-off towards the end of the session.
The 30-share benchmark index ended at 76933.59 down by -539.35 points or by -0.7 % and then NSE Nifty was at 24090.85 down by -116.9 points or by -0.48 %.
Sensex touched intraday high of 77694.97 and intraday low of 76933.59 The NSE Nifty touched intraday high of 24297.45 and intraday low of 24090.85
The top gainers of the BSE Sensex pack were Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (Rs. 423.30,+1.71%), ICICI Bank Ltd. (Rs. 1444.00,+0.93%), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (Rs. 1585.60,+0.80%), Bharat Electronics Ltd. (Rs. 409.50,+0.54%), Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd. (Rs. 1705.15,+0.36%), among others.
The top losers of the BSE Sensex pack were HDFC Bank Ltd. (Rs. 712.00,-2.08%), NTPC Ltd. (Rs. 328.70,-2.03%), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (Rs. 3338.00,-1.77%), Bharti Airtel Ltd. (Rs. 1878.00,-1.42%), HCL Technologies Ltd. (Rs. 1282.20,-1.37%), among others.
_CGS index was at 79546.07 up by 455.64 points or by 0.58%. Apar Industries Ltd. (Rs. 17908.60,+4.98%), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (Rs. 433.00,+4.27%), CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd. (Rs. 897.00,+3.46%), Timken India Ltd. (Rs. 3182.75,+2.84%), Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. (Rs. 2090.00,+2.46%),.
Bankex index was at 64313.15 down by -1094.16 points or by -1.67%. Union Bank of India (Rs. 179.90,-4.31%), Au Small Finance Bank Ltd. (Rs. 1071.00,-4.05%), IDFC First Bank Ltd. (Rs. 81.30,-3.82%), Federal Bank Ltd. (Rs. 334.10,-3.68%), Canara Bank (Rs. 125.05,-3.44%),.
The Market breadth, indicating the overall strength of the market, was weak. On BSE out of total shares traded 4748 , shares advanced were 1908 while 2628 shares declined and 212 were unchanged.