Mumbai, August 27: The BSE benchmark Sensex fell by 228 points today to close below the 18,000-level on heavy selling by foreign funds amid apprehensions of a slowdown in the US.
The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange, which remained range-bound in early trade, fell sharply in the last 30 minutes of trade to close with a loss of 227.94 points, or 1.25 per cent, at 17,998.41.
The Sensex lost 403.41 points, or 2.19 per cent, this week, its biggest ever fall since the week ended May 21.
The broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also fell by 69.20 points, or 1.26 per cent, to 5,408.70 today.
Marketmen said selling was more pronounced in information technology and tech stocks as major market participants were nervous ahead of the Federal Reserve’s outlook for the US economy, one of their key markets.
–Agencies