Sensex slips below 7,300-mark, drops 45 pts

The sentiment has turned bearish as fresh spell of selling pressure in most of the counters has seen the index slip below the 7,300-mark to a low of 7,293.

The Sensex, as a result, is now down 45 points at 7,298, while the Nifty has declined 16 points to 2,226.

The breadth of the market is slightly weak, with 1,245 stocks advancing against 1,261 scrips declining on the BSE.

Infosys has dropped 1.20% (Rs 27) to Rs 2,206. While TCS has lost 1.45% (Rs 19) to Rs 1,289, Wipro is down a per cent (Rs 7) at Rs 709. Satyam, however, is up a per cent (Rs 4) at Rs 508.

ITC has shed 1.92% (Rs 32) to Rs 1,640. Reliance Industries (down Rs 2 to Rs 676) and Reliance Energy (down Rs 6 to Rs 640) are also trading at lower levels.

Hero Honda has declined 1.62% (Rs 10) to Rs 605. While Bajaj is down a per cent (Rs 13) at Rs 1,385, Tata Motors is trading lower by 1.47% (Rs 7) at Rs 463.

L&T has lost 2.18% (Rs 28) to Rs 1,268. HDFC is trading firm with a gain of 1.95% (Rs 17) at Rs 897.