Sensex drops 555 pts, Nifty below 17,650 as energy woes hit global markets

The Indian benchmark indices snapped a two-day gaining streak to end Wednesday's session nearly 1 per cent lower. The BSE Sensex fell 555 points to close at 59,189 amid weak cues from global markets as well as rising power and gas prices. The Nifty, meanwhile, closed below the 17,650-mark at 17,646, down 176 points. 

Meanwhile, Hindalco, SBI Life, IndusInd Bank, JSW Steel and Tata Steel were among the major losers on the Nifty. Tata Consumer, ONGC, UPL, Britannia and HDFC Bank were among major gainers. That said, all sectoral indices ended in the red with capital goods, IT, metal, pharma, auto, realty and PSU Bank indices falling in the 1-3 per cent range. Further, BSE midcap and smallcap indices fell 0.5-1.2 per cent.