Sensex tanks 317 points, Nifty 109 points as US-North Korea tensions affect Asian markets
The Hong Kong Hang Seng fell over 560 points, and all other Asian indices also closed in red.
The Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex slipped 317.74 points on Friday to close at 31,213.59, while the National Stock Exchange Nifty ended 109.45 points down at 9,710.80. This was the first time in six weeks that the Sensex and the Nifty closed with a weekly loss.
The sharp fall in the markets was the result of escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea, Mint reported. US President Donald Trump on Friday warned Pyongyang against attacking Guam or any US allies.
The biggest gainers on the Sensex were Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Tata Motors DVR, Lupin, Wipro and Axis Bank. The biggest losers were State Bank of India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro and NTPC.
On the NSE, the five top gainers were Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Aurobindo Pharma, GAIL, Axis Bank and Tata Motors DVR. The five biggest losers were Hindalco, Vedanta, State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Bosch.
The US-North Korea crisis also affected all other Asian indices, reported CNN Money. The Hong Kong Hang Seng tanked over 560 points or 2.04%. The Shanghai SE Composite Index, Japan’s Nikkei 225 and the Taiwan TSEC 50 Index also closed in red.
The rupee opened at 64.21 a dollar as against Thursday’s close of 64.08, and was trading at 64.24 to the dollar at 4.44 pm.