The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex that had opened on a weak note on Thursday, fell further by over 223 points at mid-session on fund-based selling in heavy- weight stocks, led by the banking shares.
The 30-share Sensex, which had opened 104 points down, slipped by 223.01 points to 17,251.48 at 1300 hrs.
The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also cracked the psychological 5,200 points level by losing 68.45 points to trade at 5,153.25.
Selling pressure was more confined to banking, capital goods and power sectors as investors were concerned that the higher food prices might prompt the Reserve Bank of India to tighten money supply when it reviews its monetary policy later this month.
The most-heaviest on the Sensex, Reliance Industries fell by 1.14 per cent to Rs. 1,065.45 and second heaviest Infosys Technologies by 0.45 per cent to Rs. 2,641. ICICI Bank dropped by 2.80 per cent to Rs. 852.55 and HDFC Bank by 2.04 per cent to Rs. 1,721.
