Sensex snaps 5-session winning streak

The BSE Sensex and Nifty fell on Monday, retreating from a more than one-month high hit earlier in the session, as investors booked profits after recent strong gains, while consumer goods maker Hindustan Unilever(HUL) fell after it warned the country's consumer spending will remain weak in the near term. The declines came after the indexes had gained for five consecutive sessions in the week through Wednesday. Share markets were closed Thursday and Friday to mark a religious holiday. The benchmark BSE Sensex fell 0.37 per cent, or 98.15 points, to end at 26,752.90. The broader Nifty lost 0.29 per cent, or 22.85 points, to end at 7,991.70, closing below the psychologically important 8,000-level. Both the indexes pared gains after earlier marking their highest intra-day levels since September 23. Hindustan Unilever ended down 5.1 per cent, marking its biggest single-day fall since January 2011, after its July-September volume growth at five per cent failed to beat some analysts' estimates.