Mumbai: Shares fell again in red on Wednesday with the Sensex dropping almost 148 points to 31,661.97, tracking the global sale of lingering concerns over North Korea and rupee hitting the three-week low against the dollar.
The rupee fell to a low of 64.26 per dollar (intra-day), its weakest level since Aug. 16, on external funds flows sustained despite a weak dollar abroad.
After opening lower at 31,713.50, the 30-share Sensex slid further to touch a low of 31,586.53.
A rise in Reliance Industries and Kotak Bank helped the index recover some of the losses and finally settled at 31,661.97 points, still at 147.58 points or 0.46 percent. The index rose 107.30 points yesterday on bargain purchases.
The NSE Nifty remained on the negative ground during the session and cracked the 9,900 mark in one stage to reach a low of 9,882.55.
It partially recovered to close with a loss of 36 points, or 0.36 percent to 9,916.20.
