Closing Bell: Sensex ends 189 points lower at 37,452, Nifty also drop by 59

Snapping its three-day rising streak, benchmark BSE Sensex dropped 189 points on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses in metals, energy, banking and auto counters amid concerns over a looming global recession.

After a choppy session, the 30-share Sensex settled 189.43 points, or 0.50 per cent, lower at 37,451.84. It hit an intra-day high of 37,687.82 and low of 37,249.19.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty fell 59.25 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 11,046.10. During the day, it rose to a high of 11,129.65 and touched a low of 10,987.65.

Yes Bank was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, plunging 7.47 per cent, after Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the lender’s long-term foreign-currency issuer rating, terming the bank’s outlook as negative.

Vedanta, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, ONGC, M&M, Maruti, NTPC and HUL too fell up to 4.06 per cent. On the other hand, HCL Tech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HDFC, TCS and Asian Paints rose up to 2.61 per cent.

In the previous session, the BSE barometer closed 147.15 points, or 0.39 per cent, higher at 37,641.27; and the Nifty rose 47.50 points, or 0.43 per cent, to 11,105.35.

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Top gainers in the Sensex pack in early trade on Wednesday included Tata Motors, HCL Tech, Bajaj Auto, TechM, Sun Pharma, PowerGrid, Infosys and ITC, that rose up to 3 per cent.

On the other hand, Tata Steel, Maruti, HUL, Kotak Bank and ONGC fell up to 2 per cent.

According to traders, besides stock-specific sell-off, fears of an impending global recession kept investors nervous. Elsewhere in Asia, Shanghai Composite Index and Hang Seng ended in the red, while, Kospi and Nikkei settled on a positive note.

Equities in Europe were trading in the negative zone in their respective early sessions. Meanwhile, the Indian rupee depreciated 27 paise to 71.75 against the US dollar intra-day. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 1.07 per cent to USD 59.66 per barrel.

(With inputs from PTI)