Fears of US visa restrictions pull Sensex down to 26,759 and Nifty50 to 8,243
This is the first time since November 11 that the benchmark indices had crossed their crucial 27,000 and 8,300 marks during the day.
The Sensex on Friday slumped 119 points to close at 26,759 after information technology stocks were hit by news that the United States may introduce restrictions on the use of H1B visas. Nifty50, which had touched the 8,300-mark during the day, also slipped 30 points to 8,243.80. This is the first time since November 11 last year that the Sensex and Nifty crossed the crucial 27,000 and 8,300 marks, respectively, reported Economic Times.
Among the major losers was Infosys whose stocks fell by 2.5%. Stocks of Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro also nosedived 2.18%. Telecom, technology, realty and FMCG stocks also suffered losses.
However, banking and healthcare stocks ended in the green. As many as 180 stocks hit a 52-week high. These include Swiss Glasscoat, Oil India, ICICI Prudential, Sonata Software and National Fertilisers. Overall on the Bombay Stock Exchange, as many as 1,509 shares fell and 1,217 shares gained while 167 remained unchanged, reported Business Standard.
The BSE midcap also cut its gains to shed 0.3% at close. In the intraday trade, the index had gained 0.7%. The BSE smallcap finished 0.4% lower. Brokers told PTI that mixed trends at other Asian markets and a lower opening in Europe prompted late selling on the domestic bourses.