Sensex, Nifty end lower as coronavirus infects over 1,000 people

Indian shares ended lower on Monday as coronavirus cases in Asia’s third-largest economy rose to over a thousand, stoking concerns about the impact to businesses and growth.

The broader NSE Nifty 50 index closed down 4.38{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} at 8,281.1 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was 4.61{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} lower at 28,440.32.

Government data showed https://www.mohfw.gov.in 1,071 positive coronavirus cases in India and 29 deaths from infection, as of Monday morning.

Fresh cases were being reported in spite of the enforced 21-day lockdown that began last week, where citizens were asked to stay at home and many businesses halted operations.

Investor caution remained even after the country’s central bank on Friday announced a slew of measures to cushion the economic impact from the virus, including a 75 basis-point rate cut.

Banks were among the biggest drags on Monday, with the private banking index shedding 6.04{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} and the overall Nifty banking index dropping 5.94{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58}.