"equity-indices"

The 30-share BSE Sensex fell for the third consecutive day, dropping 233.98 points to 81,967.18 in early trade. The NSE Nifty decreased by 60 points to 25,085.10. Major laggards among the Sensex firms included State Bank of India, UltraTech Cement, Reliance Industries, NTPC, ICICI Bank, and Titan.

In early trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex surged 138.53 points to reach 73,243.14, while the NSE Nifty rose by 60.7 points to 22,278.55.

Trend in the domestic market remained weak post the RBI monetary policy and the unexpected announcement of reducing cash in the banking system.

Caution also prevailed in the markets ahead of the major events -- RBI's monetary policy and the US inflation data -- due to be announced on Thursday.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 85.64 points to 63,228.60 in early trade. The NSE Nifty advanced 25.55 points to 18,751.95.

Accordingly, market watchers, said that the upswing seen late on last Friday on account of rejig in international index weights might not sustain in the coming week.

A sharp fall in the rupee and a negative trend in global markets further unnerved investors, traders said.