Mumbai: The Sensex and Nifty buckled under selling pressure for the fourth session on the trot on Wednesday as risk-off sentiment prevailed ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy decision.
The 30-share BSE Sensex slumped 329.06 points or 0.57 per cent to end at 57,788.03. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty fell 103.50 points or 0.60 per cent to 17,221.40.
Bajaj Finance was the top loser in the Sensex pack, dropping 3.10 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, ITC, TCS, Titan, HCL Tech and HDFC.
On the other hand, Sun Pharma, Kotak Bank, M&M, Maruti, L&T and NTPC were among the gainers, spurting as much as 2.59 per cent.
The market breadth was negative, with 21 out of the 30 Sensex constituents finishing in the red.
Sector-wise, BSE realty, teck, IT, metal, utilities, oil and gas, telecom and finance shed up to 1.78 per cent, while auto, capital goods, bankex and consumer durables ended with gains.
Broader BSE midcap and smallcap indices dipped up to 0.59 per cent.
Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai and Hong Kong ended with losses, while Tokyo and Seoul were positive.
Stock exchanges in Europe were also trading on a mixed note in mid-session deals.
Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude fell 0.90 per cent to $73.04 per barrel.
The rupee plunged 44 paise to an over 20-month low of 76.32 against the US dollar.
Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers in the capital markets, pulling out Rs 763.18 crore on Tuesday, as per provisional data.