Inflation based on the wholesale price index touched a 3-year high at 7% for the week ended March 22 as against 6.68% in the week before.

The Sensex finally ended with a significant loss of 489 points at 15,343.

The market breadth was fairly negative - out of 2,697 stocks traded, 1,823 declined, 808 advanced on Friday.

The NSE Nifty dropped 125 points to close at 4,647.

Index shakers

BHEL and HDFC [Get Quote] tumbled nearly 7% each to Rs 1,634 and Rs 2,278, respectively. Mahindra & Mahindra slumped 6% to Rs 605.

Larsen & Toubro slumped 5.7% to Rs 2,686. Jaiprakash Associates [Get Quote] plunged over 5% to Rs 221.

Bharti Airtel [Get Quote] and Wipro [Get Quote] dropped 4.5% each to Rs 784 and Rs 416, respectively. ITC shed 3.5% at Rs 201.

ICICI Bank [Get Quote], Maruti [Get Quote] and Reliance slipped 3% each to Rs 764, Rs 764 and Rs 2,322, respectively.

Cipla dropped 2.7% to Rs 214. HDFC Bank, DLF, Reliance Communications [Get Quote] and Infosys [Get Quote] declined around 2.5% each to Rs 1,292, Rs 608, Rs 500 and Rs 1,483, respectively.

Tata Motors [Get Quote] and NTPC were down 2.3% each at Rs 614 and Rs 190, respectively.

Ambuja Cements, Reliance Energy [Get Quote], SBI [Get Quote] and TCS [Get Quote] were the other major losers on Friday.

And the movers

Ranbaxy [Get Quote] surged 2.5% to Rs 458. Tata Steel [Get Quote] ended a Re higher at 661.

Value and volume toppers

Reiance Petroleum topped the value chart with a turnover of Rs 247.60 crore followed by Reliance Capital [Get Quote] (Rs 240.50 crore), BHEL (Rs 216.30 crore), Reliance (Rs 206.70 crore) and Larsen & Toubro (Rs 199.50 crore).

Ispat Industries [Get Quote] led the volume chart with trades of around 2.15 crore shares followed by Tulsi Extrusions (1.54 crore), Reliance Natural Resources [Get Quote] (1.48 crore), Reliance Petroleum [Get Quote] (1.46 crore) and Indiabulls [Get Quote] Securities (96 lakh).