EQUITIES ON FREE FALL

Stock markets drop for 4th day amid relentless foreign fund outflows

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Stock markets extended the losing run to the fourth consecutive day Wednesday as persistent foreign fund outflows and the rupee breaching the psychological 90-to-dollar low hit investor sentiment, dragging the benchmark Sensex down by 31 points.

Falling for the fourth day in a row, the 30-share BSE Sensex dipped 31.46 points or 0.04 per cent to settle at 85,106.81. The index opened lower and dropped further by 374.63 points or 0.44 per cent to hit a low of 84,763.64 due to profit-taking. Gains in IT and blue-chip ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank, however, helped the barometer pare some losses in the pre-close session.