Sensex down 81pts; breadth marginally +ve

The Sensex is now down 81 points at 17,686.

The NSE Nifty is down 14 points at 5,188.

Satyam has plunged 2.6% to Rs 427, and Maruti has shed 2.2% at Rs 812.

DLF has slipped nearly 2% to Rs 849. Bharti Airtel, Larsen & Toubro and HDFC Bank have dropped 1.5% each to Rs 865, Rs 3,455 and Rs 1,516, respectively.

Grasim, Reliance Energy and HDFC have declined over 1% each to Rs 2,810, Rs 1,688 and Rs 2,830, respectively.

SBI and Tata Motors are also down 1% each at Rs 2,183 and Rs 727, respectively.

Hindalco has surged 2.5% to Rs 168. Ranbaxy and Bajaj Auto have rallied 2.3% each to Rs 389 and Rs 2,122, respectively.

Tata Steel has gained 1.5% at Rs 791. Cipla, BHEL and Hindustan Unilever are up over 1% each at Rs 182, Rs 2,258 and Rs 205, respectively.

The market breadth is marginally positive - out of 2,543 stocks traded so far, 1,268 have advanced, 1,219 have declined and 56 are unchanged.