At the domestic stock markets, falling for the second straight day, key indices lost one per cent each today, while the Rupee weakened slightly against the US dollar. In the international markets, Brent crude oil futures hit USD 69 a barrel. 

The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange declined 471 points, or one per cent, to close at 48,691. The Nifty at the National Stock Exchange slipped 154 points, or one per cent, to 14,697.
 
In global equity markets, Asia Pacific ended mixed. So, Japan's Nikkei-225 index declined 1.6 per cent, Singapore's Straits Times index fell 0.8 per cent and South Korea's Kospi index dropped 1.5 per cent. But China's Shanghai Composite index rose 0.6 per cent  and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index advanced 0.8 per cent.
 
In Europe, London's FTSE-100 had risen 0.6 per cent; Germany's DAX had moved up 0.1 per cent but France's CAC-40 had shed 0.1 per cent, in intra-day trade.
 
In the international market, global crude oil prices rose today on signs of a speedy economic recovery and upbeat forecasts for energy demand supported by vaccinations against COVID-19 although waves of infections in India and Brazil curbed gains. So, Brent crude futures climbed 47 cents, to USD 69.02 a barrel. US crude futures rose 47 cents, to USD 65.75 a barrel.
 
Gold lost Rs 229, to Rs 47,074 per ten grams at Delhi's bullion market today. Silver declined Rs 717, to Rs 70,807 per kilo.
 
In the international market, gold was trading lower at USD 1,832 per ounce and at the forex market, the rupee weakened 8 paise, to Rs 73.42, against the US dollar.