Sensex falls 270 points, Nifty at 8,713; HDFC, Gail gain

Indian benchmark indices opened in red on Wednesday (April 8) with the Sensex losing 271.60 points or 0.90% at 29795.61, and the Nifty plunging 78.85 points or 0.90% at 8713.35. 

About 450 shares advanced, 335 shares declined, and 39 shares are unchanged.  HCL Tech, Cipla, Gail, HDFC and HUL were among major gainers on the Nifty, while Bajaj Finance, Shree Cements, Zee Entertainment, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank were prominent losers.

Benchmark indices traded higher in the pre-opening session with the Sensex going down 160.32 points or 0.53% at 30227.53, and the Nifty advancing 48.95 points or 0.56% at 8841.15.

On Tuesday (April 7), equity benchmark indices on  ended on a positive note with the Sensex up 2,476.26 points or 8.97% at 30067.21, while the broader Nifty was up 708.40 points or 8.76% at 8792.20. Major gainers on the Nifty were IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Hindalco, and M&M. All the sectoral indices ended higher with Nifty Bank and Nifty Pharma rose over 10 percent.

The gains across the sectors were led by healthy buying in banking, healthcare and energy stocks. Among the Sensex stocks, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, and ICICI Bank were the major gainers while Bajaj Finance was the only loser so far.