Sensex, Nifty slip for 2nd straight session; Titan, HUL, NTPC top losers

Benchmark indices slipped for the second straight session today as investors booked profits at higher levels. Sensex closed 456.09 points or 0.74 per cent lower at 61,259.96 and Nifty fell 152.15 points or 0.83 per cent to 18,266.60.

Titan was the top Sensex loser, shedding nearly 3 per cent, followed by HUL, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, L&T and PowerGrid. Bharti Airtel, SBI, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance and Axis Bank were among the top Sensex gainers, rising up to 4.03 per cent. Of the 30 Sensex stocks, 23 closed lower.

The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms fell to Rs 267.87 lakh crore against the market cap of Rs 271.46 lakh crore in the previous session. The market breadth was negative, with 978 shares ending higher against 2,322 shares closing in the red. Total 125 shares were unchanged.  

The BSE mid cap and small cap indices fell 503 points and 683 points, respectively. On the sectoral front, consumer durables, metal and capital goods shares led the losses with the BSE consumer durables index crashing 1,524 points, metal index losing 506 points and the BSE capital goods index falling 485 points.

All 19 BSE sectoral indices, except telecom, ended in the red.

Meanwhile, the rupee surged by 47 paise to close at 74.88 against the US dollar on Wednesday on easing global crude oil prices. A surging American currency in the overseas market and losses in the domestic equity markets put some pressure on the rupee, forex dealers said.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Hong Kong and Tokyo ended with gains, while Shanghai and Seoul were in the red. Stock exchanges in Europe were trading mixed in mid-session deals. Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude slipped 0.82 per cent to $84.38 per barrel.