It was a day out in the red on Thursday for several stocks from across various sectors as investors resorted to some heavy selling almost right through the session, tracking global cues.

Worries about the global economy on the back of near term uncertainty in the U.S., lingering concerns about the state of affairs in the euro zone and fears of another rate hike back home despite somewhat easing inflation, all contributed to the sell-off today.

The Sensex, which plunged to 16,433.31, ended the day at 16,469.79 with a big loss of 371.01 points or 2.2%.

The Nifty settled at 4944.15, slightly off the day's low of 4932.15, recording a loss of 112.45 points or 2.22%.

Erasing early gains, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex fell nearly 109 points on Tuesday as funds sold on fears of hike in interest rate amid high inflation and weak global markets.

The Sensex, which had climbed to 17,035.49 in the morning trade, gaining 187 points, fell back to end with a loss of 108.69 points at 16,730.94 on fears that RBI might hike key interest rates to curb inflation as it remained over 9 per cent for July.

Brokers said the nominal decline in inflation to 9.22 per cent in July, from a 9.44 per cent in June, was not enough to avert fears of further hike in interest rates.

The broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty lost 37.15 points to 5,035.80, after climbing to 5,132.20 as stocks in metals, realty, bank and oil and gas sector fell.

A strong close on Wall Street overnight and an impressive show by stocks on the Asian bourses set up a buoyant start for Indian stocks Friday morning. However, after the first hour, the market faltered and kept drifting lower following a surprisingly upbeat industrial production data for June raising fears of another rate hike by the central bank.

The sharp surge in food inflation too weighed on sentiment to a significant extent. Ignoring some good report cards from India, investors indulged in some selling right through the day, fearing a significan drop in earnings over the next few quarters due to rising borrowing costs.

According to the data released by the government on friday, India's industrial output, as measured by the IIP, grew by 8.8% in June versus consensus forecast of 5.5-5.7%. The Government also revised May's IIP reading to 5.9%, from 5.6% earlier.

Information technology, bank and realty stocks were among the prominent losers. Several stocks from power and metal sectors too ended notably lower. Oil, capital goods and automobile stocks gave up early gains and ended weak. Select FMCG and healthcare stocks found some support. Midcap and smallcap stocks managed to outperform the market till around mid afternoon but lost their way towards the end of the session. 

The Sensex, which opened with a positive gap of nearly 200 points at 17,246.88 - it remained its high for the day - but plunged to 16,784.56 in afternoon trade, ended the day with a loss of 219.77 points or 1.29% at 16,839.63. The National Stock Exchange's benchmark Nifty closed at 5072.95, nearly 125 points off the day's high of 5194.45, recording a loss of 65.35 points or 1.27%.

The BSE Sensex  fell 0.4 percent after choppy trading on Thursday after data showed food inflation accelerated in end-July, triggering expectations the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may continue with its tightening cycle despite global economic uncertainty.

"The stocks stayed in the negative zone as the inflation number was higher than expected. I think the higher inflation is not going to go in a hurry," said Neeraj Dewan, director at Quantum Securities.

However, analysts expect some bargain hunting to come in to the market after the main stock index ended lower for seven out of the last eight sessions. It had fallen 8 percent in the six sessions till Tuesday. 

"We see value buying coming in the sectors linked to domestic consumption story such as FMCG," said Ambareesh Baliga, Chief Operating Officer at Way2Wealth.

In the broader market, 803 declines outnumbered advances on a total volume of 537.7 million shares. 

After six successive days of losses, the market turned positive and ended with strong gains today.

The sharp rebound on Wall Street overnight after the Federal Reserve pledged to keep rates at near-zero levels till mid-2013 buoyed up sentiment across global markets.

The Sensex, which shot up nearly 400 points in early trade, ended at 17,113.35 (provisional) with a gain of 255.44 points or 1.52%.

The Nifty closed at 5159.35, up 87.50 points or 1.7%. 

IT stocks led the charge in morning trades and despite paring some gains later on, ended on a high note.

Automobile stocks rallied on reports of a likely cut in fuel prices.

Realty, consumer durables, bank and capital goods stocks too posted handsome gains.

Power and metal stocks found support as well.

Select pharma stocks moved up. Fertilizer stocks recorded hefty gains. 

Oil and FMCG stocks were subdued in afternoon trade.

Midcap and smallcap stocks had a good outing.

The market breadth was strong.

The Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty extended their losing streak to a sixth successive day today, but thanks to some hectic short-covering and bargain hunting, ended with far less losses than feared this morning following a big gap down opening and subsequent sharp fall.

The overnight terrible setback on Wall Street following a huge sell-off on the back of Standard & Poor's rating downgrade on U.S. credit, and the resultant plunge in Asian markets set up another disastrous start for Indian stocks. Weak economic data from China too contributed to the bearish sentiment.

However, a statement from Standard & Poor's that there may not be an immediate impact of the downgrade of US credit rating on India and a recovery in some Asian and European markets triggered some strong buying at several front line counters in early afternoon trade.

Though the recovery that lifted the market into positive territory turned short-lived after European markets caved in to pressure amid concerns about the ongoing credit crisis, stocks found some support again during the final hour and significantly cut down their losses by the end of the day.

The Sensex, which went down by over 550 points to around 16,432 following a weak start but rallied to 17,135 around early afternoon, ended the day at 16,857.91 with a loss of 132.27 points or 0.78%. 

The Nifty, which hit a low of 4946.65 and a high of 5167 during the session, settled at 5072.85, netting a loss of 45.65 points or 0.89%. 

As a severe bout of selling pressure engulfed the market in late afternoon trade amid worries about a likely fall in earnings due to high interest rates, stocks from across various sectors tumbled and dragged the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty down to a highly negative close on Thursday.

The start was a bit shaky this morning, but stocks soon rallied higher with bargain hunting after recent heavy losses aiding their surge. However, after a brief spell in positive territory, the market turned easy and then kept sliding lower and lower as the session progressed.

According to the data released by the government today, food price index rose 8.04% and the fuel price index climbed 12.12% in the year to 23 July 2011. In the previous week, annual food and fuel inflation stood at 7.33% and 12.12%, respectively. The primary articles price index was up 10.99%, compared with an annual rise of 10.49% a week earlier.

The Sensex, which plunged to 17,664.73, hitting a six-week low in the process, ended the day at 17,693.18, recording a loss of 247.37 points or 1.38%. The Nifty closed at 5331.80, slightly off the day's low of 5323.15, netting a loss of 73 points or 1.35%.

Amid mounting worries about the global economy on the back of some weak data from the U.S., and parts of Asia and Europe, and on concerns about the impact of high interest rates on economic growth and corporate earnings in the country, investors went on a selling spree this morning, tracking cues from its Asian peers.

After a weak start and a subsequent sharp fall in morning trades, the market did manage a couple of smart rallies as the session progressed but still ended the day on a highly negative note with key stocks from capital goods, automobile and information technology sectors posting notable losses.

Pharmaceuticals and bank stocks too mostly ended weak. Realty stocks Realty stocks started off on a dismal note but regained some lost ground in late afternoon trade to end well off their lows. Metal stocks too recovered after a weak start. Oil, power and FMCG stocks closed mixed.

The Sensex, which plunged to 17,859.60 a little past noon, ended the day at 17,940.55, recording a loss of 169.34 points or 0.94%, while the Nifty closed at 5404.80, off the day's low of 5378.85 with a loss of 51.75 points or 0.95%.

After posting fairly strong gains on Monday on the back of the U.S. government deciding to hike debt limit to avoid a potential default, Asian markets turned weak on Tuesday as worries about slowing economy resurfaced and triggered a sell-off. The mood, quite naturally, was bearish when the Indian market opened for trading this morning.

With investors staying cautious and pressing sales till the end of the session, several blue chip stocks across various sectors closed with notable losses, pushing the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty down by over 200 points and 60 points respectively.

While the Sensex, which plunged to 18,037.87, ended the day with a loss of 204.44 points or 1.12% at 18,109.89, the Nifty closed at 5456.55, around 23 points off the day's low, netting a loss of 60.25 points or 1.09%.

Though worries about the U.S. economy eased to an extent following the development on the debt limit issue, the mood back home was quite cautious for a better part of the later half of the session as investors appeared concerned about the impact of the latest hike in rates on growth and future corporate earnings. Heavy selling in the metal space on the back of weak economic data from China and allegations of illegal iron-ore mining in Karnataka contributed to the market's fall from higher levels.

The Sensex, which opened with a positive gap of over 150 points at 18,352.23 and spurted to 18,440.07 in a flash, ended the day at 18,314.33, nearly 100 points off the day's low, recording a gain of 117.13 points or 0.64%.

The Nifty settled at 5516.80, recording a gain of 34.80 points or 0.63% for the day. It touched a high of 5551.90 and a low of 5486.45 during the session. 

Notwithstanding some hectic buying, first after an hour past the opening bell, and then during the penultimate hour of the session, the market ended the day on a negative note on Friday as investors mostly treaded a cautious path amid growing concerns about the global economy and fears about a likely slowdown in Indian economic growth due to sharp hike in lending rates.

There were some good results from India Inc., like the one reported by the banking sector heavyweight ICICI Bank. And there were some interesting stock specific developments as well. But the mood remained cautious almost right through and buying was quite selective during the day. 

The Sensex, which rebounded to 18,334.27 after an early fall to around 18,132, dropped down into the red around mid morning, and after staying flat for close to three hours, rallied past 18,300 only to falter again and close in negative territory. The benchmark ended the day with a small loss of 12.32 points or 0.07% at 18,197.20.

The National Stock Exchange's Nifty index closed at 5482, recording a loss of 5.75 points or 0.1%. It touched a low of 5453.95 and a high of 5520.30 during the day.

With the mood remaining quite bearish amid concerns about a likely slowdown in growth and drop in earnings due to steep hike in borrowing costs, some good results from India Inc and a decline in food inflation failed to arouse any significant buying interest today. 

According to the data released by the government today, India's food price index rose 7.33 percent and the fuel price index climbed 12.12 percent in the year to July 16. In the previous week, annual food and fuel inflation stood at 7.58 percent and 11.89 percent, respectively. The primary articles price index was up 10.49 percent, compared with an annual rise of 11.13 percent a week earlier.

Movements were quite volatile for a better part of the session due to unwinding of positions in the F&O segment ahead of July series expiry. 

The Sensex, which plummeted to 18,188.88 in late afternoon trades, ended the session with a loss of 222.73 points or 1.21% at 18,209.52. The Nifty closed at 5487.75, slightly off the day's low of 5475.65, recording a loss of 59.05 points or 1.06%.

Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex was at 18430.20, down 88.02 points or 0.48 per cent. The 30-share index touched intraday low of 18358.76 and high of 18578.55.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty ended at 5545.70, down 29.15 points or 0.52 per cent. The broader index touched a high of 5591.70 and low of 5521.50 in trade today.

BSE Midcap Index was up 0.27 per cent and BSE Smallcap Index edged 0.01 per cent up.

As pressure mounted amid fears of a slowdown in growth and a possible drop in earnings, stocks drifted lower and lower as the session progressed and eventually ended the day on a highly negative note today. Weakness in European markets amid lingering worries about U.S. and European economies too weighed on sentiment to an extent. 

The market, which was expecting a hike of 25 basis points in the repo rate, went sliding down sharply after the central bank announced a 50 basis points hike to 8%. The apex bank raised the reverse repo rate by 50 basis points to 7% even as it left the CRR and savings bank rate unchanged at current levels. The central bank revised the inflation target to 7% from an earlier forecast of 6%, while maintaining the growth rate forecast at 8%.

The mood was so bearish this afternoon that even some fairly impressive results from India Inc failed to arouse any buying interest. 

The Sensex, which nosedived to 18,481.63, losing nearly 400 points, ended the day with a loss of 353.07 points or 1.87% at 18,518.22. The Nifty  index of the National Stock Exchange settled at 5574.85, slightly off the day's low of 5560.15, recording a loss of 105.45 points or 1.86%.

Hectic buying in heavyweight Reliance Industries and telecom majors Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel  and a few other blue chips, lifted the market that was struggling for close to four hours despite having staged a recovery of sorts after a weak start, to a fairly buoyant close today.

Weakness in Asian and European markets amid growing worries about the U.S. economy following the delay in deciding on hiking the country's debt limit. Caution ahead of some key results and the central bank's monetary policy review, due for release on Tuesday, contributed to the lackluster moves till an hour past noon. 

However, with investors turning a bit aggressive and going on a buying spree in telecom stocks, the market gradually started looking up, and gained in strength with Reliance Industries and a few other front line stocks joining the rally up north.

The Sensex, which zoomed to 18,932.27 from a morning low of 18,670.84, ended the session at 18,871.29 with a gain of 148.99 points or 0.8%, while the Nifty settled at 5680.30, around 20 points off the day's high of 5700.55, recording a gain of 46.35 points or 0.82%. The NSE benchmark touched a low of 5616.70 during the day.

After staying away on the sidelines for a couple of days, the bulls returned to the ring today thanks to a firm trend in global markets on the back of renewed optimism about a solution to the financial crisis in Greece on the back of European leaders agreeing on a new bailout package.

Some strong quarterly numbers from India Inc and the decline in food inflation as revealed by the data released by the government on Thursday, aided sentiment to a notable extent.

Even as they awaited some positive developments from the U.S. where a rise in debt ceiling is expected, investors indulged in some hectic buying in blue chips almost right through the session on Friday. 

Bank, information technology, automobile and capital goods stocks surged higher on sustained buying support. Oil, healthcare, metal and telecom stocks moved up as well. There were notable gains for select power and FMCG stocks too. Realty and consumer durables stocks, which saw some weak spells during the session, ended off their lows thanks to some spirited buying in the final minutes.

The Sensex, which opened with a positive gap of around 130 points at 18,565, rose to 18,747.06 and eventually ended the day at 18,722.30 with a strong gain of 286.11 points or 1.55%. The Nifty index of the National Stock Exchange closed at 5633.95, recording a gain of 92.35 points or 1.67%.

A fall in food inflation failed to lift sentiment as investors appeared concerned about the financial worries in the U.S. and Europe. Caution amid a slew of earnings reports too rendered the market weak on Thursday.

The Sensex, which declined around 18,415, edged up a bit from that mark and settled at 18,436.19, recording a loss of 66.19 points or 0.36%. The Nifty closed at 5541.60 with a loss of 25.45 points or 0.46%. The NSE barometer touched a high of 5578.90 and a low of 5532.70 during the day.