Sensex ends 535 points lower, Nifty just above 13,800; Maruti falls 3.5%

The benchmark indices fell more than a per cent for a fifth day in a row as foreign portfolio investors (FPI) intensified their selling ahead of the Budget on Monday.

A sharp fall in the US markets on Wednesday and weak opening in other Asian markets weighed on sentiment of domestic investors causing the Sensex to drop nearly 900 points in intra-day trade. The Sensex ended at 46,874.4, down 535 points, or 1.1 per cent whereas the Nifty fell 150 points, or 1.07 per cent, to end the session at 13,817.

The correction in global markets has led to speculation about asset