Sensex closes 144 points down

Mumbai, Dec 7 : Indian equities ended trade in the red Monday amid selling pressure, with a key index shutting 144 points lower than its previous close.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that opened at 17,106.74 points closed at 16,957.18 points (provisional), down 144.36 points or 0.84 percent from Friday's closing at 17,101.54 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S and P CNX Nifty closed at 5057.05 points, against the previous close at 5,108.9 points, a loss of 1.01 percent.

Broader market indices were also in the red, with the BSE midcap index closing 0.9 percent down and the BSE small cap index 0.50 percent lower.