Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty failed to cling on to the day’s highs and settled in the red on Tuesday as investors remained unsure about economic recovery amid mounting Covid-19 cases in the country.

Shedding over 574 points from the day’s high, the BSE Sensex declined 63.29 points, or 0.21 per cent, to close at 30609.30.

Similarly, NSE Nifty ended 10.20 points or 0.11 per cent down at 9029.05. Bharti Airtel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, plunging around 6 per cent, followed by TCS, Bajaj Finance, Sun Pharma, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and Hero MotoCorp.

On the other hand, Titan, UltraTech Cement, IndusInd Bank, Nestle India and ITC were among the gainers.

Sectorally, BSE telecom, teck, IT, healthcare and energy indices fell up to 4.64 per cent, while metals, consumer durables, utilities, power and auto index ended with gains.

Broader BSE midcap and smallcap outperformed benchmarks, rallying up to 1.21 per cent. Sentiment in the Indian market remained volatile despite global markets trading positive.

“After opening up by more than 1 per cent, benchmark indices pared gains to close flat, with a negative bias. However, global market cues were positive, on the back of additional stimulus measures and slow reopening of economies globally,” Vinod Nair of Geojit Financial Services said.