Indian markets fell over one per cent at the end of the session on Thursday on heavy selling by funds and retail investors owing to weak global cues.
The 30-share BSE index Sensex was down 213.97 points or 1.12 per cent at 18,827.16 and the 50-share NSE index Nifty was down 61.1 points or 1.06 per cent at 5,699.10.
Barring consumer durables, all other BSE sectoral indices ended in the red.
Among them, auto, realty, power and healthcare indices fell the most and were down by 2.33 per cent, 2.3 per cent, 1.81 per cent and 1.81 per cent, respectively. On the other hand, consum3er durables index was up 1.55 per cent.
Among 30-share Sensex, Hindalco, Bharti Airtel, Jindal Steel, SBI and HUL were the top five gainers, while the top five losers were Tata Motors, M&M, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel and GAIL.
European stocks fell for a fourth day, with the benchmark index sliding to a seven-week low, as the World Bank cut its global growth forecast amid concerns that central banks may scale back their stimulus measures. Asian shares hit new 2013 lows.
Stoxx 50 fell 30.74 points or 1.15 per cent to 2,635.78, FTSE 100 shed 73.47 points or 1.17 per cent to 6,225.98 and DAX dropped 134.86 points or 1.66 per cent to 8,008.41.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 tanked 843.94 points or 6.35 per cent to 12,445.38 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 488.11 points or 2.29 per cent to 20,866.55.
The World Bank had said yesterday that the global economy will expand 2.2 per cent in 2013, paring a January forecast of 2.4 per cent.
The Federal Open Market Committee is meeting next week after the Bank of Japan this week left its lending programme unchanged.
Global stocks, commodities, bonds and currencies have been rattled in recent weeks on concerns that the Fed may wind down its bond-buying programme in the coming months.