Sensex falls for fourth day, ends below 11k

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty fell by 92.95 points at 3,513.65, after dipping to 3,329.45 points at one stage.

Market men said selling pressure escalated on reports of steep fall in the US stocks, which is at a five-year low, while Japanese stocks plummeted to 20-year lows.

They said the market escaped a major fall on emergence of domestic funds buying amid short covering by speculators which partially helped the trend.

As the selling spread over wide front, all the sectoral indices ended in red led by consumer durables, banking, information technologies and metal.

Investors remained jittery as the market has lost nearly 1725 points in the last four trading sessions on weak global trends following deepening of financial and credit crisis in the US which has now spread to Europe as well.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund raised its estimate of losses tied to US loans and securitised assets to 1.4 trillion dollars from 1.3 trillion two weeks ago. The IMF cut its forecast for global growth next year to 3 per cent from 3.7 per cent.

Consumer durable index suffered the most by losing 6.75 per cent at 2,380.15, followed by FMCG index by 5.18 per cent at 1,947.33 points. Information Technologies index fell by 4.90 per cent at 2701.23 and Bank index by 4.42 per cent at 5772.27.

Metal index by 4.31 per cent at 7209.46, Teck index by 3.74 per cent at 2264.73, capital goods by 3.57 per cent at 8793.37, Realty index by 3.31 per cent at 2844.34, PSU index by 3.10 per cent at 5795.22 points, oil and gas index by 2.69 per cent at 7796.46, healthcare index by 2.43 per cent at 3344.37, Auto index by 1.97 per cent at 3442.66 and power index by 1.94 per cent at 2034.08 points.

The midcap index lost 5.79 per cent at 4010.48 while smallcap index by 5.57 per cent at 4699.19.