Sensex crashes 855 points, Nifty below 10,600

New Delhi: Bloodbath at stock market continued in the mid-session on Thursday with the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty plunging by over 2 percentage as rupee sank to another low amid boiling crude prices, weak global cues.

The BSE benchmark Sensex plummeted over 855.38 points or 2.38 percent to 35,120.25 in afternoon session. The NSE Nifty index too fell 264.75 points, or 2.44 percent, to 10,593.50.
Intra-day, the rupee plunged to a new low of 73.81 against the dollar, while the international benchmark Brent crude breached the US 86 per barrel level, nearing its four-year high.

All sectoral indices were trading in the red, with IT, auto, pharma, banking and realty stocks witnessing most losses.

Top laggards include Reliance Industries, Hero MotoCorp, TCS, IndusInd Bank, Adani Ports, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HUL, Asian Paints, HDFC and Bajaj Auto, falling up to 6 per cent. While, Yes Bank was the top gainer, rising up to 2.18 per cent.

Analysts told news agency PTI that the equity benchmark indices have fallen nearly 10 per cent from peak levels attained in August, led by weak domestic sentiments, global uncertainties, depreciating rupee and strengthening crude oil prices.  With rupee and crude oil showing no signs of stability, weakness is likely to continue in the coming sessions, they said.    

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan were trading sharply lower by falling up to 2 per cent. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, ended 0.20 per cent higher Wednesday.

With PTI  Inputs