MARKET WRAP: Sensex falls 561 pts ahead of F&O expiry; financials top drag

NSE's Nifty50 ended at 10,305, down 166 points or 1.6 per cent. (Photo: Reuters)

Brisk selling in financial, auto, and pharma counters ahead of the expiry of futures and options contracts (F&O) for June series, due tomorrow saw the benchmark indices ending over 1.5 per cent lower on Wednesday. Further, weak global cues due to a spike in coronavirus cases, too, added to the investors' woes.

The S&P BSE Sensex slipped 561 points or 1.6 per cent to 34,869 levels, with ICICI Bank (down 7 per cent), IndusInd Bank (down over 6 per cent), and Power Grid (down around 5 per cent) being the top losers. Of 30 constituents, 24 ended in the red and rest 6 in the green. 

Asian Paints (up nearly 4 per cent) ended as the top gainer on the index. The stock rallied up to 7.68 per cent to Rs 1,813.10 during the session. READ MORE

NSE's Nifty50 ended at 10,305, down 166 points or 1.6 per cent. Volatility index, India VIX, gained over 2 per cent to 29.99 levels. 



Global markets

European stocks fell from a two-week high on Wednesday as investors turned cautious following a surge in the number of coronavirus cases globally. The pan-European STOXX 600 fell 1.5 per cent, with the economically sensitive sectors such as travel & leisure, automakers and banks leading declines.

Asian stocks, too, ended in the red. Dow Junes 30 Futures were trading around 300 points or over 1 per cent lower, suggesting a negative start for the US market.

In commodities, oil prices fell, reversing the previous session’s surge as worries about a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic outweighed support from a gradual reopening of global economies.

Gold, on the other hand, climbed to its highest level in nearly eight years.

(With inputs from Reuters)