Mumbai:
Equity benchmark Sensex fell around 900 points for the sixth straight session today, crashing below the 64,000 level following a general sell-off amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
In addition to sluggish trends in global markets, deep losses in auto, financial and energy stocks and new sales by foreign investors also contributed to the gloom, analysts said.
The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 900.91 points or 1.41 per cent to settle below 64,000 points at 63,148.15. During the day, the price fell by 956.08 points or 1.49 percent to 63,092.98.
The Nifty fell 264.90 points or 1.39 percent to 18,857.25.
Since October 17, the benchmark BSE has fallen 3,279.94 points or 4.93 percent, while the Nifty has fallen 954.25 points or 4.81 percent.
Mahindra & Mahindra was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, down 4.06 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, Asian Paints, Nestle, Bajaj Finserv, JSW Steel, Titan, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, Tata Motors and Larsen & Toubro.
On the other hand, Axis Bank, ITC, HCL Technologies, NTPC and IndusInd Bank were the gainers.
In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong fell, while Shanghai finished in the green.
European markets traded with significant losses. The American stock markets closed in negative territory on Wednesday.
The global oil benchmark for Brent crude fell 0.65 percent to USD 89.54 per barrel.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded shares worth Rs 4,236.60 crore on Wednesday, according to stock market data.
The benchmark BSE fell 522.82 points or 0.81 per cent to settle at 64,049.06 on Wednesday. The Nifty fell 159.60 points or 0.83 percent to 19,122.15.
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