Sensex down 530pts; all index stocks in red

The Sensex opened with a negative gap of 351 points at 17,271, and soon slipped deeper into red. The index touched a low of 17,008, and is now down 530 points at 17,048.

All index stocks are in negative zone.

ITC has slumped 5.5% to Rs 191. BHEL has plunged 4.5% to Rs 2,176.

ICICI Bank and Bharti Airtel have tumbled around 4% each to Rs 1,045 and Rs 793, respectively.

Wipro, HDFC, Larsen & Toubro and Ambuja Cements are the other major losers.