The BSE Sensex shed 0.27 percent on Thursday, as investors booked profits after a three-day rally that powered the index beyond the 18,000 mark for the first time since August last year to its highest close in more than six months.
The 30-share benchmark index ended 48.42 points lower at 18,153.99 -- after having risen 2.6 percent in the past three sessions -- with 14 of its components closing in the red.
The broader 50-share National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty index ended 0.18 percent or 10.00 points lower at 5,521.95 points on Thursday.
Coal India was among the day's biggest losers on adverse news flow, while energy major Reliance Industries slumped over concerns of falling gas output from its key D6 block and Tata Motors dipped profit taking a day after touching its lifetime high.
Despite a consistent optimistic investor sentiment this year, analysts have warned that the rally might be hard to sustain, noting that the Sensex is up more than 17 percent since the end of December, after ending 2011 down by nearly 25 percent.
