Sensex crashes 774 pts, Nifty nears 17,900

Mumbai (PTI): Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tanked more than 1% on Wednesday due to heavy selling in IT, financial and oil shares amid mixed global trends.

The 30-share BSE barometer plunged by 773.69 points or 1.27% to 60,205.06 as 22 of its scrips declined while eight advanced. The index opened lower and later fell by nearly 900 points during the day to touch a low of 60,081.36.

The broader Nifty of the National Stock Exchange declined sharply by 226.35 points or 1.25% to close below the 18,000 level at 17,891.95. Among Sensex stocks, SBI, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Ultratech Cement, L&T, Bajaj Finserv, Reliance, HCL Tech, Asian Paints, Wipro and M&M were the major losers.

RUPEE FALLS 2 PAISE TO END AT 81.65 AGAINST $

Mumbai (PTI): The rupee slipped 2 paise to close at 81.65 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened strong at 81.59 to a dollar against the previous close of 81.63. The local unit moved in a range of 81.50 to 81.75 during the day. It finally settled at 81.65 (provisional) against the US dollar.