Bears strengthen control on bourses as markets collapse for third day on the trot

Rupee appreciates by 10 paise to end at 77.34 against the US dollar

MUMBAI: Benchmark indices ended on a lower note on Tuesday, marking their third straight session of decline, with the Sensex falling 106 points in highly volatile trade.

Equity investors have became poorer by over Rs 11.22 lakh crore in three days following a sell-off in markets amid weak global cues.

The 30-share BSE benchmark settled 105.82 points or 0.19 per cent lower at 54,364.85. During the day, it hit a high of 54,857.02 and a low of 54,226.33.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty declined 61.80 points or 0.38 per cent to end at 16,240.05.

Among the Sensex firms, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, NTPC,

Titan, Bajaj Finance, Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra and ITC were among the major laggards.

In contrast, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Asian Paints, Indusind Bank, Ultratech Cement, Maruti, Kotak

Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank and HDFC were among the gainers.

Meanwhile, Snapping its two-day losing streak, the rupee appreciated 10 paise to end at 77.34 against the US dollar on Tuesday, supported by a rebound in regional currencies and fall in crude oil prices.

At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened strong at 77.27 against the greenback and moved in a range of 77.20 to 77.45 in the day trade. The rupee finally ended at 77.34, 10 paise higher than its previous close.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.03 per cent to 103.68.