Stock markets extend losing streak to 4th day; Sensex slides 417 pts amid rising crude, IT sell-off

MUMBAI: Benchmark equity indices extended their losing streak to a fourth consecutive day on Thursday, with the Sensex tumbling 417 points as rising crude oil prices and losses in IT stocks weighed on investor sentiment.

Besides, profit-booking in the final hour of trade further dragged the benchmark lower.

The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 417.49 points, or 0.55 per cent, to close at 76,152.86. The index opened higher and rose 354.13 points, or 0.46 per cent, to hit an intraday high of 76,924.48 before paring gains during the closing session.

The 50-share NSE Nifty slipped 41 points, or 0.17 per cent, to settle at 23,873.45.

Among the 30 Sensex firms, Titan, Trent, ITC, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Tata Consultancy Services, UltraTech Cement and Bajaj Finance were the major laggards.

On the other hand, Axis Bank, Adani Ports, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, Bharat Electronics Ltd and Tata Steel were among the gainers.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 1.57 per cent to USD 97.13 per barrel.

"Stubbornly high crude oil prices continue to act as key overhangs for the domestic market," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd.

He said that the market's recovery attempt lost steam as supportive global cues and renewed FII inflows collided with lingering geopolitical tensions and elevated global yields.

"Banking and realty stocks provided leadership, while small-caps attracted investor interest, reflecting confidence in domestic growth prospects," Nair added.

Asian markets ended on a mixed note, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Japan's Nikkei 225 settling lower. Shanghai's SSE Composite index closed flat, while South Korea's Kospi ended higher.

Markets in Europe were trading in the negative territory. US markets ended higher in overnight deals on Wednesday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 6,688.37 crore on Wednesday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also purchased shares worth Rs 2,812.98 crore, according to exchange data.

The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 373.93 points to settle at 76,570.35 on Wednesday, while NSE Nifty slumped 141.35 points to end at 23,914.45, extending their losses to a third consecutive session.