Sensex Slips Over 200 Points, Nifty Trades Below 18,250; Auto, IT Stocks Top Drags

New Delhi: The Indian equity benchmarks on Tuesday plunged into red after opening higher, led by losses in auto, information technology and pharma stocks. Asian share markets were mostly lower as Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.21 per cent, South Korea's KOSPI was down 0.99 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.34 per cent. 

Back home, as of 10:43 am, the 30-share BSE Sensex pack was down 221 points or 0.36 per cent at 61,088 and the broader NSE Nifty moved 77 points or 0.42 per cent lower to 18,232.

Mid- and small-cap shares were weak as Nifty Midcap 100 index was down 0.36 per cent and small-cap shares were trading 0.74 per cent lower.

On the stock-specific front, Eicher Motors was the top Nifty loser as the stock cracked 3.13 per cent to Rs 2,755.40. Maruti, Tata Consumer Products, UltraTech Cements and UPL were also among the laggards.

On the flipside, Axis Bank, BPCL, HDFC Bank and PowerGrid and Titan were among the gainers.

The overall market breadth was negative as 1,277 shares were advancing while 1,937 were declining on BSE.

On the 30-share BSE platform, Maruti, UltraTech Cements, Tech Mahindra, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech and Larsen & Toubro attracted the most losses with their shares sliding as much as 2.45 per cent in late morning deals.

Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, PowerGrid, Titan, Bajaj Finance, Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank were among the gainers.

Meanwhile, the 30-share BSE Sensex had jumped surged 86 points or 0.14 per cent to close at 61,309 on Monday, while the broader NSE Nifty had moved 52 points or 0.29 per cent higher to finish at 18,308.