Sensex, Nifty continue slide; energy stocks drag

By Arnab Paul

(Reuters) - Indian shares fell on Thursday, with the benchmark BSE index on track for its worst run in over 5 months, led by energy stocks after crude oil prices climbed to their highest in nearly three months.

State-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, Indian Oil Corp Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd were among the top percentage losers on the index, shedding 2.8-4 percent. International Brent crude oil futures ticked up to $64.04 a barrel, a level last seen in November.

Index heavyweight Reliance Industries Ltd, which has gained nearly 10 percent since reporting its quarterly results mid-January, fell 1.6 percent.

The broader Nifty, on track for a fifth straight session of losses, declined 0.39 percent to 10,751.25 as of 0606 GMT, while the benchmark Sensex was 0.38 percent lower at 35,895.52.

"We could see some consolidation in the markets as there aren't enough clear triggers at the moment," said Mugilan K., deputy manager of research at Cholamandalam Securities.

"Most of the gains have come from a handful of largecaps like Reliance but if you look at midcaps, they have underperformed. Expect Nifty between 10,600 and 11,100 for the next month."

The Nifty Midcap 50 index, which includes troubled home loan provider Dewan Housing Finance Corp Ltd, fell 9.21 percent this year as of Wednesday's close, compared to NSE index's 0.63 percent decline in the same period.

Shares in Dewan Housing fell as much as 6.5 percent after Chief Executive Officer Harshil Mehta resigned. The stock has lost nearly 50 percent of its value since allegations of financial mismanagement by investigative media outlet Cobrapost late last month.

Telecoms bellwether Bharti Airtel Ltd was trading 3.3 percent lower. Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, which owns a 15 percent stake in the Indian company, posted a 14 percent drop in its third-quarter net profit.

Jet Airways Ltd, which is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings after market hours, lost 3.4 percent.

Yes Bank Ltd found some cheer after the Reserve Bank of India cleared the private sector lender of any divergences in bad loan reporting practices. The stock surged as much 30 percent.

(Reporting By Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreejay Sinha)