New Delhi, May 3 (IANS): Nifty closed at 22,476 with a loss of 172 points on Friday as the index faced selling pressure at higher levels.

Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said that the Nifty after marking a new high at 22794 levels, witnessed profit booking and came under pressure.

Volatility index India VIX rose sharply by 8 per cent at 14.62, indicating cautiousness in the market. Barring Pharma and Healthcare, all sectors ended in red.

A relief rally was seen in Bajaj Finance after RBI lifted restrictions from its eCOM, Insta EMI Card with immediate effect which was a major overhang on the company, he said.

Nifty opened higher on the back of positive cues and made a new high of 22794, just six points below the 22800 mark. The index witnessed profit booking amid increasing volatility and nervousness at the higher zone, he added.

Hrishikesh Yedve, AVP Technical and Derivatives Research at Asit C. Mehta Investment Intermediates, said that the domestic benchmark indices opened higher on Friday, boosted by favourable global cues. Following that, the Nifty recorded an all-time high of 22,794.70. Thereafter, there was a substantial amount of profit booking in the market as expected.