Sensex fall for fifth day; Tata Motors leads decline

By Manoj Dharra

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The BSE Sensex fell on Thursday for a fifth straight session to its lowest close in nearly four months as Tata Motors slumped due to fears of China's new fuel norms, while broader sentiment stayed weak because of concerns about political instability.

Markets have been under pressure, having fallen 2.6 percent after the RBI stuck to its cautious stance on future rate cuts and a key ally of the ruling coalition pulled out, creating political uncertainty.

Investors are now concerned about the fate of proposed reforms and bills and await action by the government to revive sentiments.

"The biggest domestic worry is whether political uncertainty would impact the decision making of the government," said Sandip Sabharwal, chief executive - portfolio management services at Prabhudas Lilladher.

"We could continue to underperform global markets if there is no political clarity."

The Sensex fell 0.48 percent, or 91.32 points, to 18,792.87, its lowest close since November 26, 2012.

The Nifty fell 0.63 percent, or 35.65 points, to 5,658.75.

Tata Motors Ltd fell 3.5 percent on worries that China's new stringent fuel economy standard would adversely affect the Indian automaker's unit Jaguar Land Rover Ltd .

Capital goods shares were under selling pressure on weak market sentiments. Larsen & Toubro dropped 2.9 percent, while Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd shares closed down 1.35 percent.

Asian Paints Ltd ended 1.6 percent lower after Deutsche Bank downgraded the company to "sell" from "hold", saying valuations were running ahead of fundamentals. The investment bank said the stock was trading at an all-time high valuation despite rising competition.

However, recent underperformer gained. ICICI Bank gained 3.4 percent on value buying after steep recent falls over allegations of money laundering by a local journalist.

Bharti Airtel Ltd ended 6.4 percent higher after falling 11.7 percent in the previous five sessions.

Titan Industries Ltd gained 2.15 percent after Morgan Stanley upgraded the company to "equal-weight" from "underweight", citing underperforming shares. �

(Additional reporting by Abhishek Vishnoi, Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)