Sensex down 612pts; ICICI, Reliance slip 3%

The Sensex is now down 612 points at 18,051.

The NSE Nifty is down 191 points at 5,293.

Satyam has slumped 6.5% to Rs 410. Wipro and Infosys have tumbled nearly 6% each to Rs 428 and Rs 1,518, respectively.

Bharti Airtel, TCS and Hindalco have plunged around 5.5% each to Rs 883, Rs 897 and Rs 172, respectively.

Tata Motors, ONGC and Maruti have shed around 4.5% each at Rs 721, Rs 1,025 and Rs 833, respectively.

DLF and Ranbaxy have slipped nearly 4% each to Rs 855 and Rs 373, respectively.

NTPC, Grasim and Tata Steel have dropped over 3% each to Rs 216, Rs 2,883 and Rs 792, respectively.

ICICI Bank, Reliance, Reliance Energy, HDFC and ITC have declined around 3% each to Rs 1,153, Rs 2,535, Rs 1,964, Rs 2,976 and Rs 200, respectively.

Out of 2,694 stocks traded so far, 1,747 have declined, 891 have advanced and 56 are unchanged.