Market benchmark Sensex plummeted over 1,100 points, wiping off over Rs 5 lakh crore investor wealth, in opening session on Friday, 28 February, amid a massive selloff in global equities as rising coronavirus cases outside China stoked fears of a pandemic that could dent world growth.
The 30-share index sank 1,100.27 points, or 2.77 percent, to 38,645.39, while the NSE Nifty cracked 329.50 points, or 2.83 percent, to 11,303.80. All Sensex components were trading in the red, led by losses in Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Mahindra and Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, HCL Tech and Reliance Industries.
In the previous session, the Sensex settled 143.30 points, or 0.36 percent, lower at 39,745.66, and the Nifty fell 45.20 points or 0.39 percent to end at 11,633.30.
According to analysts, till last week the market was of the view that coronavirus was going to have minimum impact on global economy as situation in China was being contained. But the increase in the number of new cases is changing the view and investors are worried about an intense slowdown.
Further, incessant selling by foreign investors is also spooking domestic market participants, traders said.
On a net basis, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 3,127.36 crore on Thursday, data available with stock exchanges showed. Stock exchanges in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo plunged up to 4 percent in their morning sessions.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,190.95 points, its largest one-day point drop in history, bringing its loss for the week to 3,225.77 points, or 11.1 percent.
The S&P 500 has now plunged 12 percent from the all-time high it set just a week ago.
World oil prices too tumbled by more than 4 percent overnight as traders fretted about the impact of spreading coronavirus on crude demand, particularly from key consumer China.
Brent crude oil futures fell another 2.47 percent to USD 50.45 per barrel early in the day.
The rupee depreciated 28 paise to 71.89 against the US dollar in morning session.
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