BENGALURU: Indian shares ended lower in a highly volatile trading session on Tuesday, as concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant wiped out positive sentiment surrounding expectations of strong gross domestic product data later in the day.

The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index ended 0.41% lower at 16,983.20 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex fell 0.34% to 57,064.87. Both indexes hit their first monthly drop in seven, falling more than 3%.

Economists have projected GDP data, due at 1200 GMT, will show an 8.4% year-on-year growth in the July-September period, according to a Reuters poll last week, the fastest pace among major economies, vs a 7.5% contraction in the same quarter last year.

However, domestic markets were weighed down by volatility in the global markets after the chief executive of US drugmaker Moderna warned COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the variant.

The warning triggered a fall in world share markets and a scramble to safer currencies and bonds on Tuesday.