Resuming trade after a three-day long weekend, the Bombay Stock Exchange’s benchmark Sensex closed the day lower by more than 78 points with metal, refinery and auto stocks ending in the red amid a weakening trend in the Asian stock markets.
The 30-share barometer closed with a loss of 78.52 points to 14,645.66. The NSE Nifty also fell by 37.65 points to 4,393.05.
Marketmen said that the rising inflation, which touched a new high of 12.44 per cent for the week ended August 2, impacted the trading sentiment and investors turned their attention to alternative options such as gold.
A melting trend in other Asian stock markets, led by Hong Kong, taking cues from a weak trend in the US markets on Friday, also cast a shadow on domestic stock markets. The Hang Seng Index lost 229.91 points to 20,930.67, a lowest close since August 17, 2007.