Indian equity benchmarks decline for a third session as a worsening coronavirus crisis sparked investor concerns over a nascent economic recovery and corporate profits.
The S&P BSE Sensex Index slid 1% to 47,204. The losses came even as a broader index of Asian stocks climbed. The measure has lost about 9% from its recent peak on Feb. 15, nearing losses read as a technical correction.
The NSE Nifty 50 fell 1% as well to 14,515, its lowest level since Feb. 1. All but three of the 19 sub-indexes compiled by BSE Ltd. fell, led by a gauge of bank stocks. Reliance Industries Ltd. and HDFC Bank Ltd. were the biggest drags on the Sensex.
Global funds have turned net sellers of local stocks in April after a six-month buying spree, helping make the Sensex this month’s biggest loser in Asia. Foreign investors have sold $716 million of local shares through April 19.
Daily coronavirus infections in the nation reached a record 314,835 and public health experts are worried that a new -- possibly more virulent -- variant could be racing through the crowded nation of more than 1.3 billion people.
Stringent restrictions across the country on the movement of people have revived memories of last year when lockdowns curbed demand and pushed the economy into the worst recession in nearly seven decades.