A negative trend in global markets causes the Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty to drop by over 1% on week ended Friday, March 24.As investors cut exposure to the metal, energy, and real estate equities amid a bearish trend in Asian and European markets, the equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty bowed under selling pressure for the second consecutive session.

Besides, the rupee's decline versus the US dollar and recent withdrawals of foreign funds both affected investor morale.

The 30-share BSE Sensex lost 398.18 points, or 0.69 percent, after choppy trading to end at 57,527.10. It decreased by 502.3 points or 0.86 percent over the day to close at 57,422.98. The broader NSE Nifty ended the day down 131.85 points, or 0.77 percent, at 16,945.05.

With a loss of 3.81 percent, Bajaj Finserv led all Sensex component companies. Tata Steel, Reliance Industries, HCL Tech, SBI, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Axis Bank, and Titan were the next biggest losers.

On the other hand, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Power Grid, Asian Paints, and Wipro saw growth.
International Markets: Stock exchanges in Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong all finished lower on the Asian markets. In the afternoon trade, European markets were also quoting in the red. On Thursday, US markets finished higher.

Rupee Vs Dollar: The Indian rupee lost 25 paise to end the day at 82.45 against the US dollar. Benchmark Brent crude for all crude oil fell 1.73 percent to USD 74.60 a barrel.

Foreign Portfolio Investors  (FPI) offloaded equities worth Rs 995.01 crore on March 23 after a day's breather, as per Stock exchange data.

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