BENGALURU, May 12 (Reuters) - Indian shares lost more than
2% on Thursday and the rupee hit an all-time low, as investors
shunned riskier assets in the run-up to inflation data which
could bolster fears of more rate hikes.
The NSE Nifty 50 index dropped 2.22% to close at
15,808 and the S&P BSE Sensex fell 2.14% to 52,930.31.
Both the indexes logged their fifth straight session of losses
and hit a two-month low.
The focus was on inflation data due at 1200 GMT. A Reuters
poll showed India's retail inflation likely surged to an
18-month high in April, staying well above the central bank's
2%-6% tolerance band for a fourth consecutive month.
Sentiment globally was weaker after data showed U.S.
inflation rose sharply in April, deepening fears of aggressive
policy tightening by the Federal Reserve and a global economic
slowdown.
The Indian rupee plunged to a record low for a
second time this week, hitting 77.63 against the dollar. It
settled at 77.5025.
Indian stock markets have in recent weeks been roiled by
fears of sky-high inflation, a surprise interest rate hike,
foreign fund outflows and mixed set of corporate results.
Foreign investors have sold Indian equities worth $2.27
billion so far this month, compared with net buying of $967
million in the same period last month, Refinitiv data showed.
"For Indian markets, inflation and Reserve Bank of India's
unexpected rate increase has created some kind of nervousness,"
said Kranthi Bathini, director of equities strategy at
WealthMills Securities.
Reliance Industries, HDFC, Bajaj Finance
and Bajaj Finserv were among the top drags
on the Nifty 50, falling between 2% and 3%. Adani Ports
was the top percentage loser on the Nifty 50 index,
falling 6%.
Jaguar Land Rover parent Tata Motors closed down
4.1% down, ahead of its quarterly results.
India's economic growth rate is likely to slow if the
central bank hikes interest rates, Finance Secretary TV
Somanathan told CNBC TV18 on Thursday.
(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru, additional reporting by
Gaurav Dogra; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Aditya Soni)