Domestic equity benchmarks open sharply lower after US and Iran failed to make progress on peace talks

Domestic equity benchmarks traded sharply lower today, declining around 2 per cent each amid weak global cues after the US and Iran failed to make progress on peace talks. Sensex plunged 1,675 points to 75,875, hitting an intraday low in early trade, while Nifty traded at 23,555, down around 500 points amid selling pressure in banking and financial, realty, auto and energy stocks.
Category-wise, small-cap indices dropped the most, with the Nifty Smallcap 100 trading 2 per cent lower and the Nifty Smallcap 250 down 2 per cent, following declines in midcap and large-cap scrips. In Asian markets, major indices traded in negative territory, with the Nikkei declining over 1 per cent, the Hang Seng down 1 per cent, and the KOSPI plunging more than 1 per cent. Wall Street ended on a mixed note, with the S&P 500 settling 7 points, or 0.11 per cent lower, while the Nasdaq finished 80 points, or 0.35 per cent higher.