F&O Expiry: Sensex drops 286 pts, Nifty holds 17,600; India VIX eases 2%

The benchmark indices suffered sharp losses for the third day in a row defying firm global cues. The Nifty50 index ended at 17,618, down 93 points. The BSE Sensex, meanwhile, ended with a loss of 286 points at 59,126. The volatility remained high on account of monthly F&O expiry.

The BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices, however, closed higher, up 0.3 per cent and 0.6 per cent, respectively. The market breadth was in favour of advances as about 1,804 shares have advanced, and 1,393 shares declined. On the sectoral front it was a mixed trend, with buying seen in the realty, pharma, power and PSU banking stocks. Selling was seen in the auto, bank, IT, metal names.