Sensex tanks over 1,000 pts; Nifty below 21,250: Key levels to watch out for in Jan 24 session

Just after India beat Hong Kong to become the world’s fourth largest stock market, the Sensex fell over 1,000 points to end at 70,371, while the Nifty also cracked 1.5% to end below the 21,250 mark. The sell-off was deeper in the broader market with mid and smallcap indices slipping around 3%. Defying positive momentum seen in global markets, banks, oil and gas stocks, FMCG and metals led the downside, while buying was seen in pharma stocks. RIL and HDFC Bank alone contributed to about half of the loss in Nifty.