The S&P BSE Sensex index fell as much as 616 points to touch 55,013.98 in the first few minutes of trade, and the broader NSE Nifty50 benchmark fell to as low as 16,376.05, down 193 points from its previous close.
was the top Nifty50 gainer in early deals, up 1.04 per cent. , , Titan and were among other blue-chip top performers.
On the other hand, was the top laggard, down 4.44 per cent. , JSW Steel, ONGC and L&T were among other losers.
Equities in other Asian markets fell in early trade. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down by 0.47 per cent.
Tata Steel plunged 4 per cent, while DRL fell 2 per cent in early trade.
Overnight on Wall Street, the three benchmark indices settled flat. Dow Jones fell 0.19% to 34,894.12, while S&P 500 rose 0.13% to 4,405.80. Nasdaq added 0.11% to 14,541.79
Meanwhile, in the oil market, crude prices steadied with Brent futures up 27 cents or 0.4% to $66.72 a barrel after dropping 2.6% on Thursday to its lowest close since May. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for September, due to expire on Friday, rose 35 cents or 0.5% to $64.04 a barrel after sliding 2.7% on Thursday.
