Sensex down 66 points in early trade

Mumbai – The BSE benchmark sensex on Tuesday fell by over 66 points in early trade as investors booked profits after Monday’s strong rally amid a mixed trend on other Asian bourses.

The 30-share index fell by 66.06 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 20,539.02, led by losses in stocks of FMCG, IT, banking, realty and oil and gas sectors. The sensex had gained nearly 388 points in the previous session.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty shed 17.15 points, or 0.28 per cent, to 6,098.20.

Brokers said profit booking by speculators after Monday’s gains and a mixed trend in the Asian region mainly influenced the trading sentiment.

In the Asian region, Japan’s Nikkei Index was down by 0.69 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gained 0.09 per cent in early trade on Tuesday. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.05 per cent higher on Monday.