The benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex has fallen more than 71 points in the early morning trade after investors looked to book profits and weak indications from global markets.

The 30-sahre index fell 71.11 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 20,051.21 this morning after gaining 183.28 points in the previous two sessions at the stock exchange in Mumbai. Dealers have said that FMCG, capital goods, metal, auto, IT and realty sectors shares fell due to profit booking by investors. Reliance Communications, Dena Bank and ITC shares were the major losers today while MMTC, JSW Steel and Reddy's Lab were among the major gainers in the market.

On the other hand, the National Stock Exchange index Nifty also recorded a fall of 25.40 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 6,081.85. Market watchers said that selling by funds and mixed results from Asian markets resulted in the fall of the index this morning.

Asian markets were weaker today after commodity selling backed by a strong dollar. The American economy has shown signs of strong recovery and this has boosted investor confidence in the world's largest economy. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.82 per cent while Japan's Nikkei Index rose 1.63 per cent this morning.