Sensex ends down 184 pts

The Sensex has ended (provisional) at 16,750 - down 184 points. Nifty ended down 52 points at 5,032.
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(Updated at 1437 hrs)

Markets continued to trade in the red as selling pressure persisted in banking and metal stocks. Global stocks remained in the negative zone as Euro-zone worries persisted. The Sensex after hovering in the negative zone for most of the day has slipped 200 points to a low of 16,717. Nifty is down 63 points at 5,020.

Asian markets ended in the red today after a meeting of European policymakers' produced no new ideas for solving the continent's crippling sovereign debt crisis. Hang Seng slipped 2.7% to 18,917. Shanghai Composite, Straits Times and Taiwan Weighted dropped 1-2% each. In Europe too, CAC and DAX dropped 2.5% each. FTSE shed 2% to 5,264.

BSE capital goods index shed 1.6% to 11,851. Bankex, metal and oil & gas indices slipped over 1% each.

Larsen & Toubro was the biggest dragger among Sensex stocks and slipped 2.6% to Rs 1,566. The company has secured new orders worth Rs 1,015 crore ($214.75 million) in the building and factories segment during the current quarter.

ICICI Bank shed 2.2% to Rs 861 after advance tax payment reportedly remained unchanged at Rs 600 crore in Q2 September 2011 over Q2 September 2010.

Among other losers, Sun Pharma, Sterlite, Cipla and ONGC dropped 2-3% each. However, Jaiprakash Associates added 2% at Rs 70. Wipro advanced marginally in trades.

BSE market breadth was marginally negative. Out of 2,760 stocks traded, 1,418 stocks declined while 1,208 advanced.