Zeack News

Mumbai, June 18 : The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex today opened nearly 72 points down, after registering fourth biggest single-session fall this year yesterday, as funds and investors indulged in liquidating their positions, tracking weak overseas markets.

The Sensex, which had lost 435.07 points in yesterday's session, fell by 71.62 points at 14,451.22 in the first five minutes of trade.



The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty was also down 17.15 points at 4,339.



Stock brokers said trading sentiment was mainly dampened because of sustained pullout by foreign funds in the past few trading sessions, triggering selling by retail investors.



Shares of capital goods, oil and gas auto sectors, continued to face selling pressure at prevailing higher levels, they said.



Among major losers were, the most-weighted RIL down 0.43 per cent at Rs 2,042, Grasim Industries by 1.91 per cent at Rs 2,272.20, HDFC Bank by 1.55 per cent at Rs 1,523, HDFC Ltd by 1.68 per cent at Rs 2,243.15, ACC by 1.64 per cent at Rs 813 and Larsen and Toubro by 0.72 per cent at Rs 1,456.



However, bucking the trend were Infosys up 1.10 per cent at Rs 1,729.30 and TCS by 1.49 per cent at Rs 384.65.



The US Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended 0.09 per cent down yesterday, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng is down almost 2 per cent and Japan's Nikkei 1.75 per cent in the morning trade today. Ze