By IANS,
Mumbai : A benchmark index of the Indian equities markets Friday, dragged down by heavy selling in blue chip stocks like Reliance, Bharti Airtel and ICICI Bank, plunged to end at its intra-day low and 201 points lower than its previous close.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) — which opened at 16,855.91 points — fell sharply in the last 30 minutes of trade to 16,693.06 points (provisional), down 201.19 points or 1.19 percent from its previous close at 16,894.25 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty also lost heavily to shut shop at 4,982.5 points, against the previous close at 5,041.75 points, a loss of 59.25 points or 1.18 percent.
Broader market indices were also hit by the selling spree and ended lower, though not as much as the leading indices.
The BSE midcap index closed 0.67 percent lower, while the BSE small cap index ended 0.47 percent down.