Profit-taking, FII outflows hit D-St

Sensex drops 331 pts, Nifty ends below 26K

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Benchmark Sensex declined by 331 points and Nifty closed below the 26,000 mark Monday amid last-minute selling by cautious investors and foreign fund outflows.

Paring early gains, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined by 331.21 points or 0.39 per cent to settle below 85,000 at 84,900.71. During the day, it dropped 521.81 points or 0.61 per cent to 84,710.11.

The 50-share NSE Nifty fell by 108.65 points or 0.42 per cent to 25,959.50. The index opened on a positive note and moved in a narrow range for most of the session, but a sharp decline in the final half hour dragged it lower.