New Delhi:
Indian stock benchmarks fell on Tuesday, interrupting a sharp gain in the previous two sessions as rising crude oil prices dent investor sentiment. Brent oil futures rose 1.44 percent to $109.10 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate futures rose 1.51 percent.
The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 435 points, or 0.72 percent, to close at 60,177, while the broader NSE Nifty slid 96 points, or 0.53 percent, to settle at 17,957. Domestic indices were up nearly 3.5 percent each in the past two sessions.
However, mid- and small-cap stocks finished strong as the Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 1.38 percent and the small-cap gained 0.85 percent.
Six of the 15 sector gauges – compiled by the National Stock Exchange – ended in the red. Nifty Bank and Nifty Financial Services underperformed the index, falling 1.47 percent and 1.58 percent respectively.
On a stock-specific front, the HDFC twins (HDFC and HDFC Bank) were the biggest losers, as shares rose 2.17 percent and 3.13 percent, respectively. Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank were also among the laggards today. The HDFC twins were each up nearly 10 percent on Monday after the merger’s announcement.
Overall market size was positive with 2,344 shares moving up and 1,055 falling on BSE.
On the 30-share BSE index, HDFC twins, Kotak Bank, IndusInd Bank, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, Infosys and Wipro were among the biggest losers.
In contrast, NTPC, PowerGrid, ITC, Titan, TCS, Nestle India and Hindustan Unilever settled in the green.