Sensex ends 270 points lower, Nifty below 9,850 as Infosys cracks 9%
The Sensex settled at 31,524, down 270 points, while the broader Nifty50 quoted 9,837, down 66 points at close. The BSE Midcap index settled 0.1% lower, while BSE Smallcap index shed 0.5%.
The benchmark indices snapped a three-session long winning streak, as Infosys cracked after Vishal Sikka’s resignation as MD & CEO, although rivals such as Tata Consultancy Services gained.
According to a BSE filing, Sikka will be Executive Vice-Chairman while UB Pravin Rao is the Interim-MD and CEO.
Infosys saw its sharpest decline since April 12, 2013, down 9.6% to Rs 923. In intraday trade, the stock fell as much as 13% to Rs 884.
But the domestic markets still logged their sixth weekly gain in seven, though they remained below the record highs hit on August 2.
The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1,534 shares declined and 1,002 shares rose. A total of 122 shares remained unchanged.
IT stocks fell the most, followed by pharmaceuticals, which also witnessed some weak movements. Midcaps, on the other hand, cut a good chunk of its losses, while OMCs and FMCG gained.
HUL, Bharti Airtel and BPCL gained the most on both indices, while Infosys and Sun Pharma lost the most.
