Sensex Plunges 304 pts, Nifty Closes below 12,200 on Last Trading Day of the Year

Mumbai: Indian stock market ended in the red today, the last day of the year. The Sensex, which remained in the red throughout the session amid weak global cues as investor sentiment remained low in absence of any fresh positive trigger, ended down 304.26 points or 0.73 percent at 41253.74. The broader Nifty closed down 87.40 points or 0.71 percent at 12168.50.

The top gainers were NTPC, Tata Motors, and Sun Pharma, while Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Auto and Reliance Industries were the top losers. The auto and IT index fell the most among the sectors. About 1351 shares advanced, 1184 shares declined, while 185 shares remained unchanged

Key equity indices slumped with the BSE Sensex trading 100 points lower. The decline in banking, auto, and IT stocks dragged the indices lower, but power, metal and oil and gas stocks traded higher during the day. At 1.41 pm, the Sensex was trading at 41,457.12, lower by 100.88 points or 0.24 per cent from the previous close of 41,558 points.

During early hours today, equity benchmark indices were subdued on the last trading session the year, with experts saying the market is likely to remain range-bound in the absence of any major triggers.