Sensex closes 231 points down; oil and gas stocks tank

Mumbai, Feb 20:

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets, the 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex), provisionally closed Friday’s trade down 231 points or 0.78 percent.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also provisionally closed the day’s trade in the red. It closed 67.10 points or 0.75 percent down at 8,828.20 points.

The Sensex of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 29,446.21 points, closed at 29,231.41 points (3.30 p.m.), down 230.86 points or 0.78 percent from its previous day’s close at 29,462.27 points.

The Sensex had touched a high of 29,462.09 points and a low of 29,178.26 points in the intra-day trade.

Selling pressure was observed in oil and gas, information technology (IT), bank, technology, entertainment and media (TECK) and metal sectors. However, healthy buying took place in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), consumer durables and realty stocks.

The S&P BSE oil and gas index plunged 177.93 points, followed by IT index declined by 149.65 points, bank index decreased by 103.02 points, TECK index was lower by 78.27 points and metal index fell 54.25 points.

However, FMCG index gained 63.76 points, consumer durables index was higher by 27.09 points and realty index was up 15.95 points. IANS