Sensex down 288pts; breadth -ve

The Sensex is now down 288 points at 15,488.

BHEL has tumbled 4.3% to Rs 1,679. HDFC Bank has plunged 4% to Rs 1,170.

Tata Motors has slumped 3.6% to Rs 704. Tata Steel, Reliance Communications and Hindalco have slipped 3.3% each to Rs 680, Rs 551 and Rs 177, respectively.

Larsen & Toubro and ACC have shed nearly 3% each to Rs 2,468 and Rs 993, respectively.

SBI and HDFC are down over 2.5% each to Rs 1,510 and Rs 1,970, respectively.

Ranbaxy has surged 2.5% to Rs 383.

The market breadth is extremely negative - out of 1,889 stocks traded so far, 1,466 have declined, 396 have advanced and 27 are unchanged.