Covid-19 impact on markets: Sensex, Nifty record worst month since recession years
Both the Sensex and Nifty posted their worst monthly fall since October 2008 and their worst annual fall since 2009 due to the coronavirus-led selloff and a sluggish domestic economy.

The broader Nifty ended 3.82{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} higher at 8,597.75 and the benchmark Sensex closed up 3.62{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} at 29,468.49. (Reuters file photo)
Indian shares closed higher on Tuesday, tracking broader Asian markets, but recorded their worst monthly and yearly performance in over a decade as the country grappled with the disruption caused by the fast-spreading coronavirus.
The broader Nifty ended 3.82{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} higher at 8,597.75 and the benchmark Sensex closed up 3.62{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} at 29,468.49.
However, both the indexes posted their worst monthly fall since October 2008 and their worst annual fall since 2009 due to the coronavirus-led selloff and a sluggish domestic economy.
India reported its steepest single-day rise of 227 fresh coronavirus cases by Monday evening, taking the total number of infected people to 1,251.
The rising cases come amid a 21-day lockdown that began last week, and which the government said it had no plans to extend.
The country’s benchmark 10-year bond yield was at 6.08{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58}, compared with its previous close of 6.21{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58}, while the rupee strengthened 0.15{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} against the dollar by 1011 GMT on Tuesday.
In the equities market, metal stocks gained the most among sectors, with the Nifty metals index closing up 5.19{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58}. The Nifty pharma index gained 4.07{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58}.
Oil refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd rose 15.3{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} and was the top gainer among the blue-chip stocks, while Indusind Bank shed 15{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} and was the top laggard.