Sensex, Nifty close lower on jitters from North Korea hydrogen bomb test

The Sensex and Nifty on Monday followed Asian and European markets to close lower after North Korea said it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

While the Sensex closed 190 points or 0.60 percent lower at 31702 level. The Nifty was down 0.62 percent or 61.55 points at 9,912 level.

On the BSE, Bombay Dyeing (9.96 percent), TV 18 Broadcast (7.81 percent), Raymond  (5.71 percent) and Shriram Transport Finance Co Ltd (5.30 percent) were the top gainers.

Adani Power (5.21 percent), Just Dial (4.57 percent) and Adani Enterprises (4.37 percent) were the top losers on the BSE.

Market breadth was negative with 993 stocks closing higher against 1602 falling on the BSE.

"The markets are struggling to go up because of North Korea tensions," said Deven Choksey, promoter, KR Choksey.

"Banking stocks such as HDFC Bank are a bit highly valued and are seeing some corrections," Choksey said.

On the 30 stock Sensex,  Coal India (3.38 percent), Sun Pharma (2.79 percent), ONGC (1.06 percent)were the top gainers.

Coal India rose after the miner said on Friday that the company along with its units produced 37.63 million tonnes of coal in August, beating its target of 36.96 million tonnes.

Bank and auto stocks were the most hit with the BSE Bankex and BSE Auto falling 215 points and 187 points, respectively.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Global shares were mostly lower Monday on investor jitters over a weekend North Korean nuclear test that raised fears about regional stability.

France CAC 40 slipped 0.4 percent in early trading to 5,102.26. Germany's DAX lost 0.5 percent to 12,088.45. Britain's FTSE 100 edged down 0.2 percent to 7,426.98. U.S. shares were also set to drift lower with Dow futures dipping 0.3 percent to 21,917. S&P 500 futures were down 0.4 percent at 2,463.70.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 edged down 0.9 percent to finish at 19,508.25, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.4 percent to 5,702.00. South Korea's Kospi dipped 1.2 percent to 2,329.65. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.9 percent to 27,703.67, but the Shanghai Composite rose 0.4 percent to 3,379.58.