Closing bell: Following a three-day rise, markets end slightly lower

Equity benchmark indices ended a three-day run modestly down on Tuesday, owing to negative trends in Asian and European markets, as well as unabated foreign fund outflows.

The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 16.29 points or 0.03 percent to 64,942.40. It lost 320.59 points or 0.49 percent to 64,638.10 during the day.

The Nifty slid 5.05 points or 0.03 percent to 19,406.70.

The major laggards on the Sensex were Bajaj Finance, JSW Steel, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, ITC, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HDFC Bank, Larsen & Toubro, and Bharti Airtel.

The top gainers were Sun Pharma, NTPC, State Bank of India, IndusInd Bank, and Axis Bank.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong all closed in the red.

The majority of European markets were trading lower.

On Monday, the US markets concluded with marginal gains.

Brent crude fell 2.12 percent to USD 83.37 per barrel.

According to the exchange data, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold securities worth Rs 549.37 crore on Monday.

On Monday, the BSE benchmark rose 594.91 points or 0.92 percent to 64,958.69. The Nifty gained 181.15 points or 0.94 percent to 19,411.75.

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