Sensex crashes by 800 points amid coronavirus fears, metal stocks plunge

New Delhi: Equity benchmark indices closed nearly 2% lower on Monday as the spread of coronavirus outside China spooked global markets. The virus claiming 2,442 lives in China has spread to 28 other countries with investors grappling to assess its impact on economic growth. The BSE S&P Sensex closed 807 points or 1.96% lower at 40,363 while the Nifty 50 cracked by 242 points or 2.01% to 11,839. All sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the red with Nifty metal down by 5.36%, auto by 3.51%, pharma by 3.09% and realty by 2.16%.