Sensex ends 72 points down; metal, consumer durable stocks fall

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Wednesday closed 72 points down ahead of expiry of the July derivative contracts. Metal, consumer durables and power stocks mostly came under selling pressure.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,899.01 points, closed 16,846.05 points, 0.43 percent or 72.03 points down from its previous day’s close at 16,918.08 points.

The BSE metal index was down 209.54 points, followed by the consumer durables index, down 107.70 points, and power index, down 26.55 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was ruling 0.37 percent down at 5,109.25 points.

The main Sensex losers were Jindal Steel, down 4.33 percent at Rs.396.75; Hindustan Unilever, down 2.42 percent at Rs.464.55; Tata Steel, down 2.41 percent at Rs.387.45; Hindalco Inds, down 2.26 percent at Rs.114.45; and Bharti Airtel, down 2.26 percent at Rs.301.20.

The major gainers were ITC, up 1.64 percent at Rs.254.60; Sun Pharma, up 1.27 percent at Rs.616; Gail India, up 0.41 percent at Rs.344.05; Cipla, up 0.40 percent at Rs.327.15; and TCS, up 0.31 percent at Rs.1,212.70.

Other Asian markets closed mixed. Japan’s Nikkei closed 1.44 percent down while Shanghai’s composite index fell 0.49 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.14 percent.

At closing bell here, the European markets were in the green. France’s CAC was up 0.95 percent and so was Germany’s DAX, up 0.45 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 was trading 0.17 percent higher.