Sensex closes 0.32 percent down; FMCG, capital goods stocks plummet

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets closed Friday's trade 0.32 percent down, owing to heavy selling in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), capital goods, consumer durables, bank and media and entertainment stocks.

Sentiments were downbeat on concerns over the high current account deficit as well as probable political instability, week global cues and flight of foreign institutional investors (FIIs). 

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened in the red at 18,493.67 points, closed at 18,450.23 points, down 59.47 points or 0.32 percent from its previous day's close at 18,509.70 points. 

The Sensex fell to a low of 18,389.29 points in intra-day trade and touched a high of 18,525.45 points. 

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed trade 0.39 percent or 21.50 points down at 5,553.25 points.

The BSE FMCG index was closed 101.13 points lower, followed by capital goods index, down 64.83 points, consumer durables index, down 54.25 points, bank index, down 46.21 points, and TECk index, down 12.57 points. 

However, oil and gas index was up 136.96 points, while the automobile index and the metal index gained 53.51 points and 26.62 points respectively.

Of the 30 Sensex scrips, 16 closed in the positive. Prominent among these were Maruti Suzuki, up 7.23 percent at Rs.1,405.95; ONGC, up 2.20 percent at Rs.314.15; Wipro, up 2.17 percent at Rs.454.75, Reliance Industries, up 1.77 percent at Rs.780.35; and Sterlite Inds, up 1.77 percent up Rs.89.25.

Among the 14 losers were HDFC, down 2.84 percent at Rs.770.55; ITC, down 2.79 percent at Rs.291.45; NTPC, down 2.42 percent at Rs.140.85; Bharti Airtel, down 1.13 percent at Rs.270.65; and ICICI Bank, down 1.11 percent at Rs.997.95.

Among other Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 1.58 percent higher while Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended the day 2.73 percent down. China's Shanghai Composite Index too closed 0.11 percent lower.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 was trading down 1.21 percent, and the German DAX was trading 1.56 percent lower. The French CAC 40 too was lower by 1.50 percent.