Sensex tanks over 680 points, investors lose Rs 2.26 lakh crore

New Delhi: Markets posted sharp sell-off in closing trade on Friday with Sensex and Nifty both dropping over 1.8 percentage points eroding over 2.26 lakh crore from investors' wealth.

The BSE Sensex slipped below 36,000 level by falling 689.60 points or 1.89 percent to 35,742.07. Similarly the NSE Nifty also crashed below 10,800 by dropping 197.70 points or 1.81 percent to 10,754.00.

Led by the sharp fall in equities, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies slumped Rs 2,26,593.41 crore to Rs 1,43,29,839.59 at today's closing. The total market capitalisation of BSE listed companies stood at Rs 1,45,56,433.00 on December 20.

Profit booking, negative global cues and weak domestic currency weighed on investors' sentiments. All the 19 sectors on BSE traded in red led by heavy selling in finance and banking stocks.

Top losers include Wipro, Adani, Maruti, Infosys, TCS, Airtel, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, and M&M, cracking up to 4.23 percent. While the gainers include NTPC, Power Grid and Coal India and, rising up to 1.07 percent.

On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 386.44 crore Thursday, and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 87.96 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.

Markets took a dip on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve largely retained plans to increase interest rates despite risks to growth while the sentiment also soured after US President Donald Trump refused to sign legislation to fund the government unless he got money for a border wall, risking a partial federal shutdown on Saturday, a Reuters report said.

With Agency Inputs