Sensex ends 136 pts lower; Nifty slips below 11,650

Bharti Airtel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 4 per cent, followed by Maruti, Bajaj Finance, HUL, ICICI Bank and Kotak Bank.

On the other hand, Tata Steel, NTPC, Sun Pharma, Nestle India, Reliance Industries and TCS were among the gainers.

Equity benchmark Sensex declined 136 points on Friday following losses in Infosys, ICICI Bank and Bharti Airtel amid a selloff in global markets.

After gyrating 746 points during the day, the 30-share BSE index ended 135.78 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 39,614.07.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 28.40 points or 0.24 per cent to 11,642.40.

Bharti Airtel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 4 per cent, followed by Maruti, Bajaj Finance, HUL, ICICI Bank and Kotak Bank.

On the other hand, Tata Steel, NTPC, Sun Pharma, Nestle India, Reliance Industries and TCS were among the gainers.

Market was highly volatile during the day, said S Ranganathan, Head of Research at LKP Securities, adding that auto stocks witnessed profit booking.

However, a late comeback by RIL ahead of its earnings helped indices gain some lost ground in afternoon trade, he said.

According to experts, market mood has been wary this week on a steady increase in COVID-19 caseload globally despite falling cases in India and uncertainty around the upcoming US elections.

Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo ended the day in significant losses.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.58 per cent higher at $38.48 per barrel.

Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters