New Delhi: Benchmark indices ended on a flat note in range-bound trade today, amid a weak trend in global markets and sustained foreign fund outflows.
Sensex closed 4 points higher at 55,949 and Nifty added 2 points to reach fresh closing peak of 16,636.
Reliance Industries was the top Sensex gainer, rising over 1 per cent, followed by M&M, HCL Tech, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and HUL.
Bharti Airtel, Maruti, SBI, PowerGrid, NTPC and Tata Steel were among the top Sensex losers, falling up to 4.18%.
Of 30 Sensex stocks, 16 ended in the red.
Gaurav Ratnaparkhi, Head of Technical Research at Sharekhan said, “The price action in the last 2 sessions indicates that the index is facing resistance near 16,700 and is forming a distribution there. Structurally, the Nifty is likely to go for a minor degree dip over the next couple of sessions. Additionally, the short term momentum indicators are also pointing towards a potential dip. Thus the index looks set to test the levels of 16,500-16,400 on the downside.”
BSE mid cap and small cap indices rose 67 points and 81 points, respectively.
On a sectoral basis, metal shares led the losses with their BSE index sliding 269 points to 19,530. Consumer durables and capital goods share led the gains with their BSE indices rising 143 points and 165 points, respectively.
Market cap of BSE-listed firms rose to Rs 241.93 lakh crore.
Market breadth was positive with 1,733 shares ending higher against 1,451 falling on BSE. 138 shares were unchanged.
Meanwhile, rupee ended 2 paise higher to close at 74.22 against the US dollar on Thursday amid a muted trend in domestic equities.
Global markets
Britain’s FTSE 100 lost 0.3% to 7,127.10 and France’s CAC 40 declined 0.2% to 6,665.06. The DAX in Germany also fell 0.2% to 15,822.87 in early trading.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.1% to 27,742.29 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gave up 1.1% to 25,415.69. The Shanghai Composite also ended the day 1.1% lower, at 3,501.66.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 retreated 0.5% to 7,491.20. The Kospi in South Korea lost 0.6% to 3,128.53 after the country’s central bank raised its policy rate by 25 basis points, in a move that could quell rising household debt.