All trading was halted in Indian markets for 45 minutes on 50-share Nifty50 as it crashed by over 10% within the first five minutes of trade.
The broader index – 50-share NSE Nifty – collapsed by 10.07% in just five minutes of the trade – which put in place the circuit breaker. Before halt, the Nifty was trading at 8,624, down 966 points (10.07%).
The 30-share index of BSE – Sensex – plunged by 3090.62 points (9.43%) at 29,687.52 – below the psychological level 30,000. With this, the markets have collapsed by 21% losses in just four trading sessions, as both indices are racing towards the bottom.
All the stocks on Sensex, led by ONGC (14.7%), traded in deep red. The overall market breadth was also largely negative – with just 88 advances against 1,275 declines.
"India VIX moved up sharply by 30% from 31.58 to 42 zones, which is the highest levels of the last 11 years since 2009. Higher volatility could keep market under pressure and a roller coaster ride could continue in coming days," said Chandan Taparia of Motilal Oswal.
He added that the market is in panic mode and Bloodbath is seen across the street. "Traders are strictly advised to remain light on positions and don't try to catch falling knife till we don't see stability in our domestic as well as global market," he said.
Other far eastern markets are also witnessing a bloodbath, as Nikkei 225 has collapsed over 8.57% after Dow Jones 30 crashed 10% yesterday over fears that Washington’s response to coronavirus may not be adequate.
As the foreign funds pulled out of Indian markets rupee tanked 16 paise to 74.41 – precariously close to its all-time low of 74.45.