Sensex falls fifth day straight, ends below 16,000 points

Mumbai: A key Indian equity index Friday closed 0.97 percent down for the fifth consecutive day to end below 16,000 points.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened higher at 16,135.87 points, ended 15,896.28 points -- 156.44 points or 0.97 percent down from Thursday's close at 16,052.72 points. The chart showing the 52 week performance of Sensex is on the left.

The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) followed a similar path and closed in the red at 4,711.7 points, down 0.82 percent.

Broader market indices also fell, with the BSE Midcap index ruling 0.54 percent lower and the BSE Smallcap index down 0.77 percent.

Among the sectors that saw most selling were energy, telecom and power and pharma.

The market breadth was negative with only 1,056 stocks advancing, as many as 1,630 declining and 84 remaining unchanged.

Among the gainers on the Sensex were Sterlite, up 3.41 percent at Rs.771.55; ICICI Bank, up 2.38 percent at Rs.789.60; Grasim Industries, up 2.22 percent at Rs.2,180.40; and Tata Motors, up 1.8 percent at Rs.565.

Among the losers were Reliance Communications, down 7.37 percent at Rs.175.95; Bharti Airtel, down 6.38 percent at Rs.292.15; Reliance Infra, down 5.03 percent at Rs.1,058.40, and Tata Power, down 4.38 percent at Rs.1,343.20.

According to data with the regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors sold shares worth $335.6 million Friday.

Other major Asian markets rose after four consecutive days of losses.

The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed 1.45 percent up at 10,034.74 points.

The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, shut shop 2.28 percent higher at 21,752.87 points.

At the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the composite index ended 1.2 percent up at 2,995.85 points.

However, the South Korean benchmark index, Kospi, ended in the red at 1,580.69 points, down 5.16 points or 0.33 percent.

European markets were trading weak with Britain's FTSE 100 index ruling 0.14 percent higher at 5,144.99 points and its French peer, the CAC 40, ruling 0.34 percent down at 3,701.44 points.

Germany's DAX was similarly ruling at 5,558.97 points, down 0.51 percent.