CLOSING BELL
Stock market highlights: Selling pressure intensified in late noon deals on Friday after reports emerged of fresh Russian onslaught on Ukrainian soil. According to media reports, at least three cities in Ukraine faced major missile attack on energy facilities and infrastructure. Meanwhile, recession fears in the US and Euro region, coupled with growth slowdown concerns back home, weighed on the sentiment.
Against this backdrop, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped 461 points, or 0.75 per cent, to settle at 61,338. The Nifty50, too, slumped 146 points or 0.79 per cent to end at 18,269.
Dr Reddy's Labs, M&M, Asian Paints, SBI, TCS, Titan, Power Grid, and Ultratech Cement fell the most among the 27 losers within the Sensex pack. Adani Ports, BPCL, Bajaj Auto, and Hero MotoCorp were the additional laggards on the Nifty.
Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, HUL, and Tata Steel were the only large-cap gainers on the benchmark indices.
Meanwhile, in the broader markets, the BSE MidCap index declined 1.4 per cent, while the BSE SmallCap index dipped 0.9 per cent.
Among sectors, the Nifty PSU Bank index sunk the most, down nearly 3 per cent. This was followd by losses in the Nifty Realty, Pharma, and Media indices, down over 1 per cent each.
Global markets
European markets were marginally down Friday as investors processed the raft of central bank decisions announced Thursday. The Stoxx 600 was down 0.9 per cent early morning, with all sectors and major bourses posting losses.
On Wall Street, Dow Jones Futures were down over 300 points, or 1 per cent, in pre-market deals. S&P500 and Nasdaq futures, too, fell 1 per cent each.