Indian shares fall for the 4th day banks, autos down

Indian shares skidded 1.4 per cent to their lowest close in more than three weeks on Tuesday, extending a slide into a fourth session, as sluggish corporate earnings and stubbornly high inflation dented investor confidence.

The BSE Sensex closed down 1.38 per cent at 16,882.67 points, its lowest close since October 21. Twenty-seven of its components ended lower.

The benchmark has been one of the world's worst performers in the year to date, falling 17.7 per cent on slowing outlook for growth.

Financials, auto and infrastructure stocks took a beating amid concerns of slowing growth, while drugmaker Cipla bucked the trend and climbed on better-than-expected quarterly results late on Monday.

The 50-share NSE index closed down 1.55 per cent at 5,068.50 points.