Sensex ends 536 points lower, Nifty below 11,000-mark (Third Lead)

Slump in the financial stocks along with a weak rupee and high crude oil prices dragged the S&P BSE Sensex down 536 points on Monday and the NSE Nifty50 lost nearly 170 points to close below 11,000-mark -- slipping into the red for the fifth consecutive session.

On the other hand, the rupee weakened during the day to trade around 72.59 (4.15 p.m) per US dollar against the previous close of 72.20 per greenback.

With all the major sectors contributing to the sell-off, top sectoral losers were banking, auto and finance.

At 3.30 p.m, the wider NSE Nifty50 provisionally closed at 10,974.90 points, lower 168.20 points or 1.51 per cent from the previous close of 11,143.10 points.

The BSE Sensex, which had opened at 36,924.72 points, provisionally closed at 36,305.02 points, lower 536.58 points or 1.46 per cent from the Friday's close of 36,841.60 points.

The Sensex touched an intra-day high of 36,945.50 points and a low of 36,216.95 points.

--IANS

ravi-rrb/nir