Domestic stock markets fell on Thursday tracking weakness in broader Asian equities, as investors fretted over the slow pace of US stimulus talks and an increase in the global spread of coronavirus pandemic. The S&P BSE Sensex index fell 316.1 points – or 0.78 per cent – to 40,391.21 at the weakest level of the day, as losses in bank, automobile, pharmaceutical and IT shares dragged the markets lower. The broader NSE Nifty 50 benchmark declined to as low as 11,845.65, down 92 points – or 0.77 per cent – from its previous close. However, gains in metal shares limited the downside.
