Markets crash on North Korea missile scare as Sensex tanks above 400 points

NEW DELHI: The last day of a sedate week of trading saw the equity markets come crashing down as North Korea threatened to test a nuclear weapon in the Pacific.

The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 447.60 points to close on 31,922.44, while the broader 50-share NSE Nifty cracked 157.50 points to finish on 9,964.40. Both the indices lost almost 1.50 per cent during the day.

Thus, both the major indices crashed below the psychological marks of 32,000 and 10,000 respectively.

The markets had opened on a flat note before extending the losses to 200 points within 15 minutes of trading.

The negative sentiment among investors failed to arrest as the stock markets saw yet another spell of volatility - something that has been a regular feature in the last few months.

About five shares declined for every share rising on the BSE.

Among the sectoral indices, Nifty Realty and Nifty Metal lost the most at 4.35 per cent and 4.04 per cent respectively. PSU Banks too lost above 2 per cent.

Hindalco, Tata Steel, Yes Bank and Larsen & Toubro were the major losers. HCL Tech, Wipro and Coal India managed to stay afloat on a day when most of the stocks finished in the green.