In tumultuous trade on Thursday, Indian equity indices finished lower, putting an end to three straight days of gains. During intraday trading, the domestic indices fluctuated between gains and losses before settling in the red due to the expiration of March futures and options (F&O) contracts.
The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 115 points, or 0.20 percent, to 58,569, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 34 points, or 0.19 percent, to 17,465. Seven of the 15 sector indices by the NSE ended in negative territory. Nifty Pharma and Nifty Healthcare Indexes lagged the upto 1.7 pc
Hindalco was the highest Nifty loss, falling 4.75 per cent to 571.30.Among the laggards were Divi's Lab, Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Reddy's, and Reliance Industries. On the BSE, the total market breadth was negative, with 1,500 shares rising and 1,881 falling.
Reliance, Dr Reddy's, Wipro, Maruti, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Infosys were among the top losers on the 30-share BSE index. M&M, Hindustan Unilever, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bharti Airtel, and Titan Co, on the other hand, ended up in the green.
Oil fell dramatically as the US contemplated a major draw from its reserves to rein down soaring gasoline costs, while Asian equities traded on a sour note, mirroring an overnight Wall Street plunge. Brent crude futures decreased USD5.77, or 5.36 percent, to USD1087.68 per barrel in May. May West Texas Intermediate futures slid USD6.13, or 6.03 percent, to USD101.69 a barrel in the United States.
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