Domestic equity benchmarks posted modest declines on Wednesday, marking their second consecutive session of losses, driven by selling pressure in FMCG, energy, and auto sectors.
Sensex ended 239.31 points lower at 81,312.32, whereas Nifty concluded 73.75 points down at 24,752.45.
IndusInd Bank, Apollo Hospitals, UltraTech, Hindalco, Nestle India, Tata Consumer Products and Grasim were the worst hit among the 34 losers in the Nifty50 basket, closing between 1.5 per cent and 1.9 per cent lower. On the other hand, HDFC Life, BEL, Bajaj Finance, Hero MotoCorp and Bharti Airtel, rising between 0.6 per cent and 1.5 per cent, were the top gainers.
ITC, Reliance, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Bank and UltraTech Cement were the biggest drags for both main indices, though ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finance lent some support.
In the previous season, Sensex ended 624.82 points lower at 81,551.63, whereas Nifty concluded 174.95 points down at 24,826.20.
