Sensex drops 582 pts, Nifty ends below 24,150 after RBI maintains policy rates

Domestic stocks plunged on Thursday as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) maintained its status quo on interest rates for the ninth consecutive time due to persistent food inflation. The benchmark Nifty50 index closed below the 24,150 level, despite touching a high of 24,340.50 during the afternoon session. Trading was volatile due to the expiry of weekly index options on the National Stock Exchange. The IT, metals, and energy sectors were particularly hard hit.