New Delhi, 12 May (H.S.): Domestic equity markets plunged sharply on Tuesday, the second trading day of the week, amid worries over the ongoing crisis in West Asia and after the Prime Minister’s appeal to citizens for frugality. The benchmark Sensex closed 1,456.04 points lower, while the Nifty slipped 436.30 points to settle at 23,379.55.

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)’s Sensex fell 1,456.04 points, or 1.92%, to close at 74,559.24. The National Stock Exchange (NSE)’s Nifty also ended 436.30 points, or 1.83%, lower at 23,379.55. This marks the fourth consecutive trading day of decline, with the Sensex shedding nearly 3,500 points and the Nifty losing around 1,000 points in the last four days.

In today’s trade, realty and IT stocks were among the hardest hit. Shares of TCS, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and HCL Tech fell up to 4.5%. Auto, financial services, FMCG, media, pharma, PSU banks and private banks also saw declines of up to 2.5%. In the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee weakened further to a fresh all‑time low of ₹95.63 per dollar.

On Monday, the markets had also closed lower, with the Sensex falling 1,313 points to 76,015 and the Nifty slipping 360 points to 23,815.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar