Mumbai, Dec 3 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities market Friday ended on a lacklustre note as consolidation set in after four consecutive days of gains.
Trader sentiments were also hit after the markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), barred four companies Murli Industries, Ackruti City, Welspun Corp Ltd, Brushman India and their respective promoters from trading for alleged price manipulation, price rigging ahead of fund raising plans of all these four companies.
The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 20,007.89 points, closed at 19,966.93 points — down 25.77 points or 0.13 percent from its previous close at 19,992.7 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 5,992.8 points, down 0.31 percent.
Broader markets also shut in the red, with the BSE midcap index ending 2.3 percent down and the BSE smallcap index closing 3 percent lower.
Among the gainers on the Sensex were Hero Honda, up 2.47 percent at Rs.1,832.45; Cipla, up 1.76 percent at Rs.370.45; Jindal Steel, up 1.53 percent at Rs.679.65; and M&M, up 1.19 percent at Rs.798.75.
Major losers included DLF, down 4.53 percent at Rs.306.55; Reliance Infra, down 4.29 percent at Rs.836.70; Jaiprakash Associates, down 4.27 percent at Rs.107.60, and Sterlite Industries, down 2.39 percent at Rs.165.65.
The market breadth was negative, with 703 stocks advancing, compared to 2,206 scrips on the decline, while 130 stocks were unchanged.
According to data available with SEBI, foreign institutional investors sold scrips worth $102.13 million Friday.
Other Asian markets, which rose earlier tracking gains on Wall street, closed closed on a subdued note with traders choosing to book profits and ahead of the release of weekly employment data in the US.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed 0.55 percent up at 23,320.52 points, while the Shanghai Composite index shut shop flat at 2,842.43 points.
The Japanese Nikkei closed 0.1 percent down at 10,178.32 points.
European stocks too were trading flat ahead of the release of key US non-farm pay roll data.
Around mid-day, Britain’s FTSE 100 ended 0.01 percent up at 5,768.41 points, while the German DAX was 0.06 percent lower at 6,953.6 points.
The French CAC 40 was 0.44 percent up at 3,763.54 points.
