Shares fall; defensives, banks falter

Mumbai: India’s main indexes edged lower, with the BSE 30-share index Sensex falling 0.3% and the NSE 50-share index Nifty dropping 0.3%, led by selling in defensive and rate-sensitive stocks, particularly banks.

Among defensive stocks, ITC fell 1%, Sun Pharma is declined 2.7% and Hindustan Unilever lost 0.4%.

Profit-taking hits lenders, with State Bank of India falling 1.6% after gaining nearly 10% over the previous three sessions.