Sensex ends down 654pts; Bankex tumbles 8%

The index tumbled to a fresh yearly low of 12,605, and finally ended with a loss of 4.9% (654 points) at 12,676.

The BSE Bankex tumbled 7.7% (463 points) to 5,508.

The market breadth was extremely negative - out of 2,697 stocks traded, 2,105 declined, 535 advanced and the rest were unchanged today.

The NSE Nifty dropped 179 points to settle at 3,861.

MAJOR LOSERS...

Ranbaxy slumped 14% to Rs 409.

HDFC Bank plunged over 11% to Rs 916, and ICICI Bank tumbled 8.7% to Rs 529.

Hindalco shed 8.3% at Rs 138. HDFC and Reliance Communications dropped around 7% each at Rs 1,800 and Rs 406, respectively.

BHEL, Wipro, SBI and DLF slipped around 6.5% each to Rs 1,372, Rs 378, Rs 1,178 and Rs 427, respectively.

Reliance Infrastructure and Jaiprakash Associates declined 6% each to Rs 768 and Rs 145, respectively.

...AND THE LESSER LOSERS

Tata Steel plunged 5.5% to Rs 647. ITC shed 5% at Rs 160.

Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever and Mahindra & Mahindra slipped 4.5% each to Rs 2,280, Rs 209 and Rs 522, respectively.

Ambuja Cements dropped 4% to Rs 79. Bharti Airtel, ONGC, Maruti and Reliance were down around 3.5% each at Rs 710, Rs 845, Rs 549 and Rs 1,977, respectively.

Cipla declined 3.3% to Rs 208. NTPC, Satyam and TCS were down over 2.5% each at Rs 162, Rs 398 and Rs 750, respectively.

MOST ACTIVE COUNTERS

Ranbaxy topped the value chart with a turnover of Rs 304.70 crore followed by Reliance (Rs 279.50 crore), Reliance Capital (Rs 261.50 crore), Infosys (Rs 168.25 crore) and KSK Energy R(s 131.50 crore).

Reliance Natural Resources led the volume chart with trades of around 1.33 crore shares followed by IFCI (1.30 crore), Ispat Industries (1.17 crore), SpiceJet (86.65 lakh) and Chambal Fertilisers (78.10 lakh).