Corona carnage: Sensex crashes 1,448 pts; `5.45L cr investor wealth wiped off

Mumbai: The Sensex logged its second-biggest one-day fall in history on Friday as concerns over the rapidly-spreading Coronavirus triggered a manic global sell-off.

World markets sank deeper into the red, posting their worst week since the 2008 financial crisis, on fears that the virus outbreak could tip the global economy into a recession. The list of countries hit by Covid-19 grew to 57, with New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan and The Netherlands reporting their first cases.

Continuing its downward spiral for the sixth straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended 1,448.37 points, or 3.64 per cent, lower at 38,297.29. This was the benchmark's second-worst drop in absolute terms after August 24, 2015, when it had plunged 1,624.51 points.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty sank 431.55 points or 3.71 per cent to end at 11,201.75.

The carnage in the equity markets wiped out investor wealth worth Rs 5,45,452.52 crore, with the total market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies standing at Rs 1,46,94,571.56 crore.