Sensex ends down 173pts

The markets ended on a weak note, the Sensex was down 173 points (provisional) at 15,995, and the Nifty was down 54 points at 4,997.
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(Updated at 1430 hrs)

Markets have extended the losses with Sensex and Nifty declining by over 1% each. The Sensex and Nifty have broken 16,000 mark and 4,800 levels respectively. Weak opening of the European markets have dampened the sentiments amongst local investors. Meanwhile, CAC, DAX and FTSE have dropped between 1-2% each.

By 1420 hrs, the Sensex remained at 15,991 sloping down by 177 points, and the broader Nifty index remained at 4797 descending down by 54 points.

Among the Sensex stocks, Bharti Airtel is the top loser, down 4% at Rs 373. DLF, ICICI Bank, Sterlite, Tata Motors and Reliance were the other major losers.

Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto, however, have bucked the trend and are up nearly 2% each.

BSE Realty and Oil & Gas indices are reeling under selling spell, both tumbling down by over 2% each. Sectors like Telecom, Banks Technology, Consumer Durable, Metal, Power, PSU and Capital Goods have shed by almost 1% each. However, BSE Healthcare, FMCG and Auto indices are trading marginally in green zone.

Amongst Realty segment, the main victims are Anant Raj, DLF, HDIL, Oberoi Realty, Phoenix Mills, Sunteck Realty and Unitech, all crumbling down between 1-4%.

Meanwhile, Midcaps and Smallcaps are trading flattish with negative bias. BSE Midcap index has slipped 0.44% whereas BSE Smallcap index has declined by 0.15%.

The market breadth on the BSE remains weak with 1,112 shares advancing and 1,464 shares declining.