Sensex falls on profit booking

The Sensex fell on Monday for the first time this year, as investors took profit in recent outperformers such as State Bank of India (SBI) after a four-day winning streak had sent indexes to two-year highs. The BSE Sensex fell 0.47 per cent, or 92.66 points, to end at 19,691.42, after gaining 1.84 per cent in the previous four sessions. The index closed on Friday at its highest since January 6, 2011.

The broader Nifty ended 0.46 per cent down, or 27.75 points, at 5988.40, below the psychologically important 6,000 level.

Goldman Sachs maintained its 'overweight' call on Indian stocks, with an end-2013 target for the NSE, or Nifty, of 7,000.