Markets end in red as banking, auto stocks slide; Sensex tanks 318 points

New Delhi: After witnessing gains for three straight days, markets ended in red on Thursday led by heavy selloff in banking and auto stocks amid weak global cues.

The BSE Sensex fell 318.18 points or 0.81 percent to 38,897.46 while the NSE Nifty closed 90.60 points or 0.78 percent lower at 11,596.90.

Yes Bank was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, cracking 12.85 percent, after the private sector lender posted over 92 percent loss in its consolidated net profit in the first quarter.

Other losers included, ONGC, Tata Motors, M&M, Vedanta, Maruti, Bajaj Auto, TCS, SBI, HCL, IndusInd Bank and Tata Steel, declining upto 4.24 percent. Bucking the trend, shares of HDFC, Kotak Bank, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance and TCS ended in green, rising upto 2.26 percent.

On a net basis, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 16.97 crore, while domestic institutional investors purchased shares to the tune of Rs 208.88 crore, provisional data showed.

In the previous session on Wednesday, the BSE Sensex rose 84.60 points or 0.22 percent to 39,215.64 while the NSE Nifty closed higher by 24.90 points or 0.21 percent to 11,687.50.