Sensex declines 138 points; auto, capital goods shares major drag

Mumbai: Extending its losing streak to third day, benchmark Sensex declined by 138 points on Wednesday in a choppy trade as investors booked profits in auto, pharma and capital goods shares amid continued FPI outflows.

The 30-share BSE Sensex erased its earlier gains and closed lower by 138.74 points or 0.17 per cent at 80,081.98 with 22 of its constituents ending lower. The index opened lower but later traded with gains on bouts of buying by investors. However, increased selling in the second half dragged the index below the 80,000 mark to 79,891.68.

The NSE Nifty closed lower by 36.60 points or 0.15 per cent to 24,435.50. It moved between a high of 24,604.25 and a low of 24,378.10 in day trade. From the 30 Sensex pack, Mahindra & Mahindra, Sun Pharma, Power Grid, NTPC, Adani Ports, Larsen & Toubro, ICICI Bank and Titan were among the biggest laggards. Bajaj Finance climbed nearly 5 per cent after the firm reported a 13 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 4,014 crore in the second quarter ended September 2024.