Benchmarks declined for fifth consecutive session; Sensex declined 1145 points & Nifty settles at 14,676
Key markets indices eke out thin gains in choppy session
Domestic shares plunged on Monday, February 22, 2021, with the Nifty falling below the 14,700 mark. The S&P BSE Sensex slumped 1145.44 points or 2.25 per cent to 49,744.32. The Nifty 50 index lost 306.05 points or 2.04 per cent to 14,675.70. Nifty Bank lost 584.40 points or 1.63 per cent to end at 35,257.20.
The broader market at BSE also declined to underperform the Sensex. The BSE Mid-Cap index was down 1.34 per cent while the BSE Small-Cap index depreciated 0.76 per cent.
The market breadth was tilted towards the sellers. On the BSE, 1039 shares rose and 1984 shares fell. On the Nifty 50 index, 10 shares advanced and 40 shares declined. The top five losers on Nifty 50 were Adani Ports (up 2.79 per cent), JSW Steel (up 2.33 per cent), Hindalco (up 2.05 per cent), Tata Steel (up 1.44 per cent) and Grasim (up 0.98 per cent). The top five losers were Eicher Motors (down 5.09 per cent), M&M (down 4.70 per cent), Tech Mahindra (down 4.64 per cent), Dr Reddy's (down 4.43 per cent) and Axis Bank (down 4.02 per cent).
COVID-19 update
Total Covid-19 confirmed cases worldwide were at 11,13,43,040 with 24,65,882 deaths. India reported 1,50,055 active cases of Covid-19 infection and 1,56,385 deaths while 1,06,67,741 patients have been discharged, data showed. Over one crore of 11 lakh people have been administered Covid-19 vaccines in the country so far. Union Health Ministry said that 31,681 people have been inoculated with Covid-19 doses in the last 24 hours. The country's Covid-19 recovery rate reached 97.22% with a total recovery of more than 9000 patients in the last 24 hours.
UK Plan to lift Lockdown
The UK is set to detail later on Monday how it plans to lift lockdown measures gradually in the coming months, as its vaccination rollout maintains its good pace.
China LPR remains unchanged
China kept the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) unchanged at 3.85%, largely in line with expectations. The five-year LPR was also kept steady at 4.65 per cent. The LPR is a lending reference rate set monthly by 18 banks.
US Coronavirus relief plan
The House of Representatives will try to pass a $1.9 trillion Coronavirus relief plan before the end of February, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday. Democratic Congressional leaders may try to pass a package without votes from Republicans.