The Sensex and Nifty buckled under selling pressure for the fourth session on the trot on Wednesday as risk-off sentiment prevailed ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy decision.
A sharp drop in the rupee -- which slumped to a 20-month low against the US dollar -- and unabated foreign fund outflows also weighed on the bourses, experts
said.
The 30-share BSE Sensex slumped 329.06 points or 0.57 per cent to end at 57,788.03. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty fell 103.50 points or 0.60 per cent to 17,221.40.
Bajaj Finance was the top loser in the Sensex pack, dropping 3.10 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, ITC, TCS, Titan, HCL Tech and HDFC.
On the other hand, Sun Pharma, Kotak Bank, M&M, Maruti, L&T and NTPC were among the gainers, spurting as much as 2.59 per cent. The market breadth was negative, with 21 out of the 30 Sensex constituents finishing in the red.