Benchmark indices drop further markets settle lower for 7th day

BSE Sensex declined over 188 points on Thursday and NSE Nifty dipped 40.50 points.

Benchmark indices failed to hold on to early gains and ended lower for the seventh straight session on Thursday, with the BSE Sensex declining over 188 points amid mixed global market trends.Even after rallying in early trade, the 30-share BSE benchmark fell 188.32 points or 0.33 per cent to settle at 56,409.96. During the day, it hit a high of 57,166.14 and a low of 56,314.05.Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty dipped 40.50 points or 0.24 per cent to end at 16,818.10.Among the 30-share Sensex pack, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bank, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Wipro and Bajaj Finserv were among the major laggards.ITC, Dr Reddy's, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma and Nestle were among the major winners.Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Seoul and Tokyo ended higher, while Shanghai and Hong Kong closed in the red.Stock exchanges in Europe were trading lower in mid-session deals. The US markets bounced back on Wednesday and ended higher.Meanwhile, the international oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.45 per cent to USD 88.92 per barrel.Foreign institutional investors offloaded shares worth Rs 2,772.49 crore on Wednesday, according to data available with BSE.