Sensex down 310 points; bank stocks plunge

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets, the 30-scrip BSE Sensitive Index (Sensex), was down 310 points or 1.10 percent during the afternoon trade session Thursday.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was also trading in the red during the afternoon trade session. It was down 78.25 points or 0.92 percent at 8,452.55 points.

The S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex, which opened at 27,937.62 points, was trading at 27,801.61 points (12.15 p.m.), down 310.22 points or 1.10 percent from the previous day's close at 28,111.83 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 27,997.14 points and a low of 27,746.20 points in the intra-day trade so far.

Health buying was observed in capital goods, consumer durables and power stocks. However, bank, healthcare, information technology (IT), metal, automobile and technology, entertainment and media (TECK) stocks came under selling pressure.

The S&P BSE capital goods index was up 133.65 points, followed by consumer durables index which rose 13.77 points and power index was higher by 13.67 points.

However, the S&P BSE bank index was down 189.47 points, healthcare index was lower by 171.01 points, IT index fell by 155.37 points, metal index declined by 136.28 points, automobile index decreased by 88.32 points and TECK index dropped by 62.35 points.