Indian shares fell sharply on Tuesday to mark their worst close in nearly six weeks, dragged lower by index heavyweights such as Reliance Industries Ltd, amid lingering trade tensions between the United States and China.
US President Donald Trump's latest threat to ramp up trade tariffs on China stoked worries that trade talks may be derailed and rattled world markets, with Asian shares fragile after touching a five-week low.
The broader NSE Nifty closed 0.87% lower at 11,497.9, while the benchmark BSE Sensex ended down 0.84% to 38,276.63.
The NSE index broke below a key support of 11,556, the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level on the uptrend from Feb. 19 low to April 18 high.
Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries dived 3% in its worst session since Dec. 10, 2018, while private-sector lender ICICI Bank Ltd dropped 3.7% to its lowest close in over six weeks.
