Sensex falls for 3rd day, sheds 542 pts on weak global cues; Nifty below 19,400

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower for a third straight day on Thursday in tandem with a bearish trend in global markets and continuous foreign fund outflows. Losses in ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank also added to the ongoing weak trend in the benchmark indices. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell by 542.10 points or 0.82 per cent to settle at 65,240.68. During the day, it slumped 819.7 points or 1.24 per cent to 64,963.08. The NSE Nifty declined 144.90 points or 0.74 per cent to end at 19,381.65.