The benchmark indices in India fell over half a percent in today's(5th March 2021) early deals amid worry over the rapidly increasing Covid-19 cases in the nation. The volatility index, India VIX, rose 6 percent to 21.2 levels.
Among headline indices, the S&P BSE Sensex fell 400 points, or 0.8 percent, to 49,620 and the Nifty50 index gave up the 14,800-mark. Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bank, and Bajaj Auto fell over 2 percent, each, and were the top Sensex laggards.
The Nifty sectoral indices were largely in the red, with Nifty Bank, Nifty Financial Services, and Nifty Realty index falling over 1 percent, each.
In the broader markets, the S&P BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices fell 0.4 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.