Moratorium extension fears, Covid tally spook investors; Sensex falls 1.8%

Fears of an extension in the loan moratorium, rising Covid cases, and a surge in the US dollar dented investor sentiment on Monday, triggering a big fall in the BSE Sensex.

Going down for a fourth straight session, the benchmark Nifty ended at 10,900, with a fall of 1.6 per cent, or 174 points.

The Sensex ended at 36,940, down 667 points, or 1.8 per cent — the highest since July 14.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said her ministry was working with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for extending the loan moratorium for the hospitality sector,