Markets Plunges To Close Deep in Red

The Indian markets ell sharply in the last one hour of trade and closed near crucial support levels as traders booked profits after a rally in last session. According to dealers, the sell-off can be attributed to FII outflows from emerging markets like India. Factors like inflation, unrest in Middle East and rising crude oil prices also weighed sentiments. Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex ended at 18001.92, down 447.39 points or 2.42 per cent. The 30-share index touched a low of 17926.98 and high of 18542.20 intraday. National Stock Exchange’s Nifty closed at 5388.95, down 137.80 points or 2.49 per cent. The 50-share index touched a low of 5369.05 and high of 5556.30 in today’s trade. BSE Midcap Index was down 1.52 per cent and BSE Small cap Index moved 1.72 per cent lower. BSE Realty Index fell 3.69 per cent, BSE FMCG Index was down 2.81 per cent and BSE Capital Goods Index slipped 2.39 per cent.