The BSE benchmark index Sensex, which plunged over 2,200 points in intra-day trading, managed to regain some loss to settle at 16,729.94. Tuesday’s fall of 875.41 points from Monday’s close is the second biggest drop.
Here are the 10 biggest falls in the Indian stock market history:
Jan 21, 2008: The Sensex saw its highest ever loss of 1,408 points at the end of the session on Monday. The Sensex recovered to close at 17,605.40 after it tumbled to the day’s low of 16,963.96, on high volatility as investors panicked following weak global cues amid fears of the US recession.
Jan 22, 2008: On Tuesday when it hit a low of 15,332, down 2,273 points. It recovered losses 875 points and closed at 16,730. The Nifty closed at 4,899 at a loss of 310 points. Trading was suspended for one hour at the BSE after the benchmark Sensex crashed to a low of 15,576.30 within minutes of opening.
May 18, 2006: Loss of 826 points (6.76%) to close at 11,391, following heavy selling by FIIs, retail investors and a weakness in global markets. The Nifty crashed by 496.50 points (8.70%) points to close at 5,208.80 points.
December 17, 2007: Index plunge to a low of 19,177 - down 856 points from the day’s open. The Sensex finally ended with a huge loss of 769 points (3.8%) at 19,261. The NSE Nifty ended at 5,777, down 271 points.
October 18, 2007: The index tumbled all the way to a low of 17,771 - down 1,428 points from the day’s high. The Sensex ended with a huge loss of 717 points (3.8%) at 17,998. The Nifty lost 208 points to close at 5,351.
January 18, 2008: Unabated selling in the last one hour of trade saw the index tumble to a low of 18,930 - down 786 points from the day’s high. The Sensex finally ended with a hefty loss of 687 points (3.5%) at 19,014.The NSE Nifty plunged 3.5% (208 points) to 5,705.
November 21, 2007: The index tumbled to a low of 18,515 - down 766 points from the previous close. The Sensex finally ended with a loss of 678 points at 18,603. The Nifty lost 220 points to close at 5,561.
August 16, 2007: The Sensex, after languishing over 500 points lower for most of the trading sesion, close to a low of 14,345. The index finally ended with a loss of 643 points at 14,358.
April 02, 2007: The Sensex opened with a big negative gap of 260 points at 12,812 following the Reserve Bank of India decision to hike the cash reserve ratio and repo rate. Unabated selling, mainly in auto and banking stocks, saw the index drift to lower levels as the day progressed. The index tumbled to a low of 12,426 before finally settling with a big loss of 617 points (4.7%) at 12,455.
August 01, 2007: The Sensex opened with a gap of 207 points at 15,344 amid weak trends in the global market and fell deeper into the red.The Sensex finally ended with a big loss of 615 points at 14,936. The NSE Nifty ended at 4,346, down 183 points.
