Sensex down 70 pts

The 30-share barometer, which gained over 511 points in the previous session, fell by 70.89 points, or 0.36 per cent to 19,531.34 in the first few minutes of trade today, led by a fall in oil and gas, metal and power sector stocks.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty slid by 27.70 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 5,857.00 points.

According to market experts, the trading sentiment turned somewhat weak after Reliance Industries reported a 14 per cent rise in net profit for the quarter ended March 31, 2011, well below the market`s expectations.

The most-weighted firm on the Sensex, Reliance Industries fell sharply by 2.40 per cent to Rs 1,015 in opening trade.