Markets end lower for third straight session

Indian benchmark equity indices closed lower for third straight session on Thursday dragged by losses in index heavyweights RIL, Infosys and ICICI Bank amid a weak trend in global equities. Expiry of monthly futures and options (F&O) contracts also weighed on the investor sentiment. After hitting an intraday high of 59,557.24, Sensex slipped into the red and ended the session 286.91 points or 0.48% lower at 59,126.36. Similarly, the NSE Nifty declined 93.15 points or 0.53% to 17,618.15. PowerGrid, falling about 3%, was the top Sensex loser followed by Asian Paints, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Auto, SBI and M&M. Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Sun Pharma and HUL were among the gainers. Most sectoral indices on the NSE closed in the red. Nifty Media, Nifty Metal and Nifty IT, falling nearly 1% each were the top laggards. On the other hand, Nifty Realty, Nifty Pharma and Nifty Private Bank were the only gainers. In Asia, stock exchanges in Shanghai and Seoul closed in the green, while Hong Kong and Tokyo were in the red.