Sensex down 80 points in early trade

The BSE benchmark Sensex today fell by almost 80 points in early trade due to profit-booking after two sessions of gain.
The 30-share barometer fell by 79.98 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 19,245.89, led by losses in stocks of banking, power, oil and gas and metal sectors. The index had gained 498.71 points in the previous two sessions.
Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty shed 25.10 points, or 0.43 per cent, to 5,824.95.
Brokers said besides profit-booking by speculators after recent gains, a weak trend on the other Asian markets with investors sitting on the sidelines as they await the US Federal Reserve's plans for its stimulus programme, mainly influenced the trading sentiment.

In the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei Index fell by 0.70 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 0.74 per cent in early trade today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.73 per cent higher yesterday.