After touching a low of 30,909.36, the 30-share index settled at 25.16 points or 0.08% lower at 31,097.73. Similarly, NSE Nifty slipped 5.90 points, or 0.06%, to close at 9,136.85.
Weak domestic investor sentiment continued on Friday as equity benchmark Sensex ended 25 points lower to close at 31,097.
After touching a low of 30,909.36, the 30-share index settled at 25.16 points or 0.08% lower at 31,097.73. Similarly, NSE Nifty slipped 5.90 points, or 0.06%, to close at 9,136.85.
M&M was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, cracking over 4%, followed by Axis Bank, Indusind Bank, Hero MotoCorp, Sun Pharma and ICICI Bank. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints, Tata Steel, NTPC, Reliance and Hindustan Unilever ended with gains.
In the previous session, the BSE barometer settled 885.72 points or 2.77 per cent lower at 31,122.89, while the broader Nifty tanked 240.80 points, or 2.57 per cent, to close at 9,142.75.
Market experts said the investors fear that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's recent announcements on the Rs 20-lakh-crore economic package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not boost demand immediately which has taken a substantial hit due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Besides, the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country continue to affect investor sentiment, experts noted.
The Finance Minister announced details of Rs 20 lakh crore package in two tranches on Wednesday and Thursday while the third tranche will be announced on Friday. However, uncertainty over the effectiveness if the package continues to weigh over the investor sentiments.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in India rose to 81,970, while the death toll spiked to 2,649, according to data released by the Union Health Ministry. Globally, the number of coronavirus cases has crossed 44.43 lakh and the death toll has topped 3.02 lakh.
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