Sensex falls 440 points, Nifty tests 19,650

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty buckled under heavy selling pressure on Thursday as investors pared exposure to bellwether stocks HDFC Bank, M&M, Nestle and Reliance Industries amid a mixed trend in global markets. Besides, the interest rate hike by the US Fed failed to boost sentiments in the domestic market, which saw a steep decline led by banking and auto stocks, traders said.