Sensex falls by 223 points after Dubai World debt fiasco


Sensex falls by 223 points after Dubai World debt fiasco
Mumbai: A key Indian equities index slipped further into the red Friday after a negative start and closed 223 points lower than its previous close, thanks to developments in Dubai. Indian stock markets had joined the tumble in bourses around the world after the state-owned holding company Dubai World, which manages that emirate's portfolio of businesses, said it had asked creditors for an extension of six months on debt repayments. The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened the day at 16,718.8 points, shut shop at 16,632.01 points, down 1.32 percent or 222.92 points, against Thursday's close at 16,854.93 points. The chart showing the 52 week performance of Sensex is on the left. It had fallen by 644.49 points or 3.82 percent at one point. At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty closed at 4,941.75 points, against the previous close at 5,005.55 points, a loss of 63.8 points or 1.27 percent. Broader market indices also managed to close above the day's lows with the BSE midcap index down 1.35 percent and the BSE small cap index ending 2.14 percent lower. The market breadth was negative, with 735 stocks advancing, 2,023 declining and 44 remaining unchanged. Of the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE, 12 came under varying degrees of selling pressure, with IT and infrastructure stocks losing the most. There were only five gainers on the Sensex: Bharti Airtel, up 0.94 percent at 283.65; Hero Honda, up 0.53 percent at 1,745.70; Reliance Infra, up 0.43 percent at 1,039.10; Grasim Industries, up 0.3 percent at 2,366.75; and Tata Steel, up 0.27 percent at 544.90. Among the major losers were Jaiprakash Associates, down 3.05 percent at 214.50; L&T, down 2.71 percent at 1,586.50; Infosys, down 2.45 percent at 2,328.30; and TCS, down 2.4 percent at 671.60. According to markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors bought scrips worth $66.1 million Friday. Investors remained jittery around the world over concerns that Dubai World's debt burden would be a blow to the nascent signs of economic revival. A key Japanese index, the Nikkei, shut 3.22 percent or 301.72 points lower at 9,081.52 points. The Hang Seng, a benchmark index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was at 21,134.5 points, 4.84 percent or 1,075.91 points lower. The Kospi, the benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, also fell to 1,524.5 points, down 4.69 percent. In China, the Shanghai composite index similarly ended in the red, falling 2.36 percent to 3,096.26 points. Dubai World's debt burden stands at $59 billion of the total $80 billion debt of the state, which has authorised the restructuring of the company that will now be spearheaded by Dubai Financial Support Fund (DFSF). Dubai markets were closed Thursday and Friday and will reopen only Monday. European markets seemed to stabilise after marking losses Thursday. A key index of the London Stock Exchange, the FTSE 100 index was ruling 0.43 percent lower at 5,171.63 points. The French index, CAC 40, was at 3,668.59 points, down0.29 percent, while its German peer, the DAX was trading 0.46 percent down at 5,588.49 points. The US markets are shut Friday for Thanksgiving.
Source: IANS