Sensex down 144 pts in early trade on weak global cues

Extending yesterday's losses, the benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 144 points in early trade today on sustained selling by funds, tracking weak global cues amid rising tension over Ukraine and signs of a slowdown in China.

The 30-share index, which had lost 81.61 points yesterday, fell by another 144.44 points, or 0.66 per cent, to 21,630.17 in early trade with all the sectoral indices led by banking, realty and metals trading in the negative zone, with losses up to 1.31 per cent.

The broader Nifty of the National Stock Exchange too moved down by 36.05 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 6,457.05.

Brokers said continued selling by foreign funds and retail investors largely in tune with a weakening trend on other Asian bourses on dismal Chinese economic data and overnight losses on Wall Street on flaring Ukraine tensions mainly dampened the sentiment here.

In other Asian markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell by 0.66 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei moved down by 2.73 per cent in early trade today.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.41 per cent in yesterday's trade.