Mumbai, Jan 30 (IANS): A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Thursday closed 149 points or 0.72 percent down on the back of negative global cues and sustained selling pressure in bank and metal stocks.

The 30-scrip S&P Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 20,491.74 points, closed at 20,498.25 points -- down 149.05 points or 0.72 percent from its previous day's close at 20,647.30 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 20,528.41 points and a low of 20,343.78 intra-day.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed 46.55 points or 0.76 percent down at 6,073.70 points.

In Thursday's trade bank, metal and oil and gas stocks came under sustained selling pressure. However, healthy buying was observed in stocks like consumer durables and automobile stocks.

The S&P BSE bank index declined by 318.36 points followed by metal index, which fell 233.30 points, and oil and gas index, down 91.01 points. The S&P BSE consumer durables index grew 94.12 points and automobile index was up 31.27 points.

The major gainers were: Tata Motors, up 2.66 percent at Rs.361.20; Bharti Airtel, up 2.24 percent at Rs.308.40; BHEL, up 1.29 percent at Rs.172.90; Gail India, up 1.01 percent at Rs.349.80; and Mahindra and Mahindra, up 0.88 percent at Rs.869.30.

The main losers were: State Bank of India (SBI), down 3.56 percent at Rs.1,517.55; Hero MotoCorp, down 3.43 percent at Rs.1,999.75; Sesa Sterlite, down 3.38 percent at Rs.187.25; Hindalco Inds, down 3.35 percent at Rs.108.10; and Tata Steel, down 3.20 percent at Rs.346.55.

A negative sentiment ruled in other international markets also.

Among the Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 2.46 percent down, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.48 percent. China's Shanghai Composite Index, too, fell by 0.82 percent.

In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was trading 0.33 percent down while Germany's DAX Index was lower by 0.26 percent. The French CAC 40 Index fell 0.22 percent.

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