Equities market ends in red, Sensex down 213 points

Weak cues from global markets and heavy profit-booking across sectors Thursday pulled down a key index of Indian equities markets, which shut shop 213 points lower than its previous close.

The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened a little higher at 17,004.98 points, but soon slipped to 16,928.11 points and further extended its losses in the afternoon.

The index ended trade at 16,785.65 points, down 213.13 points, or 1.25 percent from its previous close Wednesday at 16,998.78 points.

The benchmark index had hit an intra-day low of 16,712.33 points in the afternoon, but recouped some losses in the last minutes of trading.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the S&P CNX Nifty fell below the 5,000-mark to close at 4,989 points with a loss of 1.3 percent, data with the exchange showed.

Broader market indices also closed in the red, with the BSE midcap index ruling 1.67 percent lower and the BSE small cap index 1.08 percent down.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,682 stocks declining, 1,052 advancing and 87 remaining unchanged.

Out of the 30 Sensex stocks, only three were in the green: HDFC, up 0.44 percent; ACC, up 0.41 percent; and Wipro, up 0.08 percent.

Prominent among the losers were Jaiprakash Associates, down 4.53 percent; Reliance Infrastructure, down 3.9 percent; DLF, down 3.68 percent; Hindalco, down 3.46 percent; and Reliance Communications, down 2.41 percent.

According to the data with the regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors bought shares worth $112.9 million Thursday.

Other Asian markets ended on a dull note.

The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, closed 197.17 points or 0.86 percent lower at 22643.16 points.

The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed at 9,549.47 points, down 127.33 points.

In China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange composite index closed marginally in the green at 3,320.61 points, up 0.53 percent.

Major European markets were trading negative.

Britain's FTSE 100 index was ruling 9.43 points lower at 5,332.7 points, while its French peer, CAC 40, was trading 16.72 points in the red at 3,811.44 points.

The German index, DAX, was ruling 16.6 points down at 5,771.01 points.

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