After opening in the red, the 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) dropped further as trading progressed to rule 177.74 points down at 17,512.88, about 30 minutes into trade.

Today, the Sensex belled the day at 17,643.59, 1% lower than its last closure at 17,690.62 on Tuesday.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broad-based Nifty stood at 5,260.2, down 0.91% from its previous closure at 5,308.35.

Broader market indices were also trading in the pessimistic zone with the BSE midcap index trading 1.19% down and the BSE smallcap index trading 1.37% lower.

On Tuesday, the Sensex of Bombay Stock Exchange ended the day after losing 54.66 points at 17,690.62 owing to heavy profit-booking by foreign funds and weak Asian signals.

Nifty index also dropped moderately by 14.10 points to end the session at 5,308.35.

The shares seen under pressure included ICICI Bank, Maruti Suzuki, JP Asso, BHEL, SBI, DLF, Tata Steel and others.

Shares, which were supportive, were Rel Infra, Mahindra & Mahindra, ITC and ONGC. (With Inputs from Agencies)