Mumbai/Delhi: Domestic Benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty closed lower on Wednesday amidst selling in all sectors with small and madcaps being hit the most in the wake of monthly expiry and expected release of GDP data.
BSE Sensex closed 790.34 points or 1.08 per cent lower at 72,304.88 while NSE Nifty ended 21,951.20, down 247.10 points or 1.11 per cent — the biggest drop in the last 5 weeks.
Among the Nifty losers were Power Grid Corporation, Apollo Hospitals, Eicher Motors and Maruti Suzuki while those which gained included HUL, Infosys, TCS and Bharti Airtel.
All the sectoral indices ended in the red with Auto, Oil and Gas, power and realty, dropping 2 per cent each.
BSE midcap and smallcap indices fell 2 per cent each.
More than 250 stocks touched their 52-week high on the BSE, including Aster DM Healthcare, Filatex India Force Motors, Godfrey Phillips, Havells India, Intellect Design, Just Dial, PB Fintech, Rainbow Child, Thyrocare technologies, Triveni Turbine, Venus pipes, V-Guard Industries and Voltas.
Meanwhile, the Rupee turned flat at 82.89 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday. The Indian currency resisted pressure amid unabated outflow of foreign funds and increased month-end demand of the American currency.
Crude Oil prices, hovering above USD 83 per barrel, also weighed on the domestic currency. However, positive equity markets provided cushion and capped a steep fall in the rupee. Besides, investors were also awaiting cues from US GDP data to be released later in the day and domestic GDP numbers later this week.
In another development, Gold and Silver prices fell on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) on Wednesday.
Gold futures maturing on April 5, 2024, stood at Rs 62,195 per ten grams on the MCX, after recording a marginal dip of Rs 106 or 0.17 per cent.
On the other hand, silver futures, maturing on March 5, 2024, witnessed a dip of Rs 205 or 0.30 per cent and were retailing at Rs 68,880 per Kg on the MCX as against the previous close of Rs 69,085.
