Sensex down 225 points in opening trade on profit booking

Mumbai, Aug 31 (PTI) Snapping a seven-session winning
streak, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex fell over
225 points in opening trade Monday on emergence of profit
booking by funds and retail investors amid weak Asian markets.

The BSE-30 share benchmark Sensex, which had gained
nearly 1,112.73 points, or 7.5 per cent in the past seven
sessions, fell by 225.68 points at 15,696.66 points in opening
trade with most of the sectoral indices falling up to 1.65 per
cent.

Similarly, the Nifty index on the wide-based National
Stock Exchange fell by 70.35 points, or 1.48 per cent to
4,662.00 points.

Brokers said emergence of profit booking by funds as well
as retail investors after recording handsome gains in the past
seven sessions, mainly led to the decline.

Besides, weak trend on the other Asian bourses which
were down up to 5.37 per cent in the morning trade also
dampened the trading sentiments on the domestic bourses.

Stocks of non-ferrous metal producer, Sterlite Industries
were under pressure and fell by 1.5 per cent at Rs 684.50 as
copper prices in Shanghai fell by over 2 per cent. MORE PTI