Sensex down 82 pts in early trade, Nifty slip below 8,300 mark

Mumbai: The benchmark BSE Sensex extended losses for the second straight day today by falling over 82 points and Nifty dipped below the 8,300-mark in early trade on sustained selling by funds and retail investors.

The 30-share index declined by 82.54 points or 0.30 per cent to 27,357.60. The gauge had lost 50.45 points in yesterday’s choppy session.

In a similar fashion, the NSE Nifty slipped below the 8,300-level by falling 29.15 points or 0.35 per cent to 8,295.65.

Stocks of power, consumer durables, banking, realty, auto, oil&gas, healthcare and capital goods sectors were leading the fall.

Brokers said sentiment remained weak in the absence of any positive trigger amid sustained capital outflows by foreign funds.

Besides, overnight losses in the US markets on worries about surging oil prices, poor trade data and growing tensions over the Greek debt crisis weighed on sentiments, they added.

In other Asian markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up by 0.89 per cent in early trade today, while Japan’s markets are closed for a public holiday.

The US Dow Jones ended 0.78 per cent lower in yesterday’s trade.

PTI