The Sensex and the Nifty plunged over one per cent at the closing session on Tuesday due to profit-booking by funds and retail investors amid weak European cues.
The 30-share BSE index Sensex was down 264.57 points (1.25 per cent) at 20,974.79 and the 50-share NSE index Nifty was down 64.20 points (1.02 per cent) at 6,253.15.
On the BSE, FMCG, Healthcare, IT and TECk indices fell the most by 2.53 per cent, 1.55 per cent, 1.28 per cent and 1.25 per cent, respectively. Only Realty and Power indices were up 0.27 per cent and 0.15 per cent.
Among 30-share Sensex, ITC (3.52 per cent), ICICI Bank (3.07 per cent), Sun Pharma (2.96 per cent), Dr Reddy's (2.88 per cent) and TCS (2.74 per cent) were the top five losers, while the top five gainers were Hindalco (1.47 per cent), Coal India (1.42 per cent), Tata Motors (1.02 per cent), Cipla (0.59 per cent) and HDFC (0.49 per cent).
European stocks were down as investors awaited economic forecasts from the European Union.
Asian stocks were mixed amid speculation that a meeting of China’s top party officials this week-end may struggle to meet the market expectations for economic reforms in the world’s second biggest economy.
Investors were eyeing the non-factory data to be released today from the Institute for Supply Management in the US.