MUMBAI: Equities slipped back into the red today after a two-day winning run as the Sensex declined over 80 points and the Nifty cracked below 9,600, with investors turning cautious after the Federal Reserve's rate hike.
The BSE 30-share Sensex, after opening higher, touched a high of 31,229.44, but slipped to end lower by 80.18 points, or 0.26 per cent, at 31,075.73.
The index had risen 60.21 points in the last two sessions.
The NSE Nifty after shuttling between 9,621.40 and 9,560.80 settled at 9,578.05, down 40.10 points, or 0.42 per cent.
Caution prevailed after the US Fed raised its key interest rate by 25 basis points and announced plans to start paring its bond holdings, and on an overnight slump in crude prices.
Besides, the ongoing US political turmoil also had a rub-off effect on the sentiment.