Sensex Extends Fall, Dives 704 Points, Nifty Barely Holds 16,950

Indian equity benchmarks on Tuesday extended their fall for the fifth straight session, dragged by heavy selling pressure in information technology (IT), financial and consumer goods stocks. The domestic indices fluctuated between gains and losses throughout the day before plunging sharply in late deals.

Weaker quarterly corporate earnings, ongoing Russia-Ukraine spat, and high inflation worries dented investor sentiment.

The 30-share BSE Sensex slumped 704 points or 1.23 per cent to close at 56,463, while the broader NSE Nifty moved 215 points or 1.25 per cent lower to settle at 16,959. 

Mid- and small-cap shares finished on a weak note as Nifty Midcap 100 index fell 1.37 per cent and the small-cap shed 1.66 per cent.

14 out of the 15 sector gauges -- compiled by the National Stock Exchange -- ended in the red. Nifty IT, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Financial Services underperformed the index by falling as much as 2.98 per cent, 2.82 and 2.03 per cent, respectively.

"We witnessed mayhem in markets in last 30 minutes. Investors are advised to remain invested in quality stocks in coming days and avoid weak fundamental stocks. They should remain cautious and keep adequate liquidity to keep adding quality stocks at every dip," said Rahul Sharma, Research Head, Equity 99.

On the stock-specific front, HDFC was the top Nifty loser as the stock cracked 6.26 per cent to Rs 2,121.75. HDFC Life, SBI Life, HDFC Bank and Tata Consumer Products were also among the laggards.

The overall market breadth stood negative as 1,164 shares advanced while 2,248 declined on BSE.

On the 30-share BSE index, HDFC twins (HDFC and HDFC Bank), Infosys, ITC, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Hindustan Unilever, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Maruti and Nestle India were among the top losers.

In contrast, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, SBI and Bajaj Finance settled in the green.