Sensex ends 201 points down; Nifty at 8,111; JustDial cracks 12% post Q2 earnings

Extending losses for the fourth consecutive session, the domestic markets ended sharply lower in trade on Thursday as participants cut down bets in view of the October series expiry in the derivatives segment.

The S&P BSE Sensex slipped 201.62 points to end below its crucial psychological level of 27,000, while broader CNX Nifty settled a tad above its key 8,100-mark at 8,111.75, down 59.75.

Sentiment on the Street remianed negative with 22 of the 30 Sensex stocks ending the day in red.

Markets also took cues from muted trend seen in other Asian markets as the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged but signalled December rate hike might still be on the table.

"I think until the first week of November, we will play out the result seasons, and thereafter the market will find some stability," said Deven Choksey, managing director at KR Choksey Securities.

JustDial was the top loser among F&O stocks. The stock cracked nearly 12 per cent as the company failed to meet analysts' expectations on the topline growth for the September quarter.

Among Asian markets, China's Shanghai Composite settled the day nearly 1 per cent down, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended flat, while Japan's Nikkei closed with an uptick of 0.17 per cent.

Overnight, US stock edged higher after a volatile session as the Fed gave a vote of confidence in the US economy. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 198.09 points, or 1.13 per cent, to 17,779.52, the S&P 500 gained 24.46 points, or 1.18 per cent, to 2,090.35, its highest in more than two months.

Lowdown on markets today

02:38 pm

Sensex at 26,888.75, down 151.01 points

Nifty at 8,126.80, down 44.40 points

1:00 pm

Sensex at 26891.37, down 148 points

Nifty at 8129.55, down 41 points

11:25 am

Sensex at 26952.76, down 87 points

Nifty at 8142.95, down 28 points

10:40 am

Sensex at 26,959.83, down 79.93 points

Nifty at 8,142.10, down 29.10 points

9:35 am

Sensex at 26,977.16, down 62.60 points 

Nifty at 8,145.15, down 26.05 points