Sensex falls 89 points, Asian markets suffer

Failing to sustain Wednesday's gains, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex fell by over 89 points in opening trade on Thursday. The National Stock Exchange Nifty index shed 27.40, or 0.53 per cent, to 5,133.60. Asian markets headed lower over mounting concerns about the health of Europe's banks and France's debt rating. Japan's Nikkei 225 index sank 1.3 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stumbled 1 per cent. On Wall Street Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 519 points, with selling largely spurred by worries about Europe.