Fall in global markets, rise in crude oil prices in early trade after a landmark deal by OPEC+ group to cut output and worries over likely extension of Covid-19 lockdown caused the domestic equity market to settle in the negative territory on Monday.
The S&P BSE Sensex shed 470 points or 1.51 per cent to end the day at 30,690, with Bajaj Finance (down 10 per cent) being the biggest loser and L&T (up over 6 per cent) the top gainer. Of 30 constituents, 23 ended in the red and rest 7 in the green.
On the NSE, Nifty ended at 8,994, down 118 points or 1.3 per cent. The volatility index India VIX rose over 3 per cent ro 51.41 levels.
On the sectoral front, barring Nifty Pharma and Nifty Metal, all the other sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the negative zone. Nifty Financial Services index dropped over 3 per cent to 9,501 levels while Nifty Realty lost around 5 per cent to settle at 177-mark.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index slipped nearly a per cent to 11,268 levels while the S&P BSE SmallCap index lost around half a per cent or over 47 points to 10,246.
Markets will remain closed on Tuesday on account of Dr B R Ambedkar Jayanti.
Stocks that made news Shares of pharmaceutical companies continued their rally with the S&P BSE Healthcare index hitting fresh 52-week high on the BSE on the back of positive developments in the sector even as most brokerages don't see a meaningful adverse impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown on the companies' earnings.
READ MORE Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) fell 10 per cent to Rs 135 on the BSE during the day after the media major invested Rs 522 crore in tech subsidiary Margo Networks, which offers streaming and advertising services under the ‘SugarBox’ brand name. ZEE owns 80 per cent in Margo. The stock ended at Rs 137, down 8.57 per cent.
READ MORE Larsen & Toubro (L&T) rose 6.57 per cent to Rs 866 on the BSE after the company announced it has won major contracts for its power transmission & distribution business.
READ MORE Global Markets Global shares fell on Monday as investors braced for more signs of economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nikkei fell 1.4 per cent while MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped slightly, with South Korean shares falling 0.9 per cent. US S&P 500 mini futures dropped 1.54 per cent, erasing a brief gain to a one-month high made right after the start of trading.
In commodity market, oil prices turned negative, erasing gains made after major producers agreed record global output cuts, pressured by concerns that the cuts will not be sufficient to head off oversupply as the coronavirus pandemic hammers demand.
(With inputs from Reuters)
 "MARKET WRAP: Sensex sheds 470 pts; financials, real estate stocks decline")
