Sensex sheds 348pts, Hindalco slumps 14%

The Sensex opened marginally (10 points) lower at 14,529, and continued to drop as the day progressed.

Concerns over rising inflation, coupled with profit-taking following a seven-week rally, saw the index plunge to a low of 14,146. The Sensex finally settled with a huge loss of 348 points (2.4%) at 14,191.

The Metal index plunged 5.5% to 8616. The BSE Bankex, Auto, Healthcare and Oil & Gas indices also declined sharply today.

While the BSE Mid-cap index dropped 4% to 5821, the Small-cap index slipped nearly 5% to 7127.

Declines beat advances 7:1, i.e there were seven declining stocks for every advancing share. Out of 2,668 stocks traded, 2,303 declined, 338 advanced and the rest were unchanged.

INDEX MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hindalco tumbled nearly 14% (Rs 24) to Rs 149 after agreeing to a $6 billion deal to buy US-based Novelis. BHEL plunged 6.5% to Rs 2,345, and Gujarat Ambuja slumped nearly 5% to Rs 132.

Reliance Communications shed over 4% to Rs 455, and Reliance Energy dropped nearly 4% to Rs 535.

Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto, Larsen & Toubro, HDFC, Bharti Airtel and Maruti slipped over 3% each to Rs 874, Rs 2,944, Rs 1,659, Rs 1,757, Rs 729 and Rs 912, respectively.

ICICI Bank and TCS were down around 2.7% each at Rs 965 and Rs 1,254, respectively.

Grasim, Reliance, Tata Steel, Wipro and ONGC declined over 2% each to Rs 2,760, Rs 1,356, Rs 444, Rs 629 and Rs 866, respectively.

VALUE & VOLUME TOPPERS

Global Broadcast topped the value chart with a turnover of Rs 247 crore followed by Hindalco (Rs 112 crore), debutant Technocraft (Rs 101 crore), Akruti Nirman (Rs 108.50 crore) and Reliance Communications (Rs 97.20 crore).

IFCI led the volume chart with trades of around 2.20 crore shares followed by Technocraft (98.65 lakh), Pochiraju Industries (78.60 lakh), Hindalco (73 lakh) and Cambridge Tech (72 lakh).