Sensex closed at 57,696.46, down 764.83 points; Nifty loses 204.95 points
Highlight
- Equity benchmark Sensex slips 765 points
- The 30-share BSE index closed at 57,696.46, down 764.83 points or 1.31%.
- NSE Nifty tanks 204.95 points or 1.18% to 17,196.70 points
Equity benchmark Sensex fell 765 points on Friday, dragged by losses in index-heavyweights Reliance Industries, HDFC Twins and Kotak Bank, after India reported its first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Center on Thursday said that two cases of Omicron have been detected in Karnataka. Both patients are men aged 66 and 46 with mild symptoms. An official said that serious symptoms have not been noticed.
The 30-share BSE index closed at 57,696.46, down 764.83 points or 1.31 per cent. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty ended 204.95 points or 1.18 per cent lower at 17,196.70.
PowerGrid was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, falling over 4 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, Asian Paints, Kotak Bank, Tech Mahindra and Bharti Airtel.
On the other hand, L&T, IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel and UltraTech Cement were among the gainers.
According to Gaurav Garg, Head of Research, Capitalvia Global Research, traders are worried about the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron version.
Elsewhere in Asia, shares in Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo ended with gains, while Hong Kong was in the red.
Stock exchanges in Europe were trading on a positive note in mid-session deals. Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude rose 2.38 per cent to $71.32 per barrel.
Read also | INifty closed above 17,400 with a gain of 234 points; Sensex climbs 777 points
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