Mumbai, Feb 24 (Inditop.com) A benchmark index for Indian equities ended marginally lower Wednesday, having traded the entire day within a tight range.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,218.68 points, ended at 16,255.97 points, down 30.35 points or 0.19 percent from its previous close.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty closed at 4,858.6 points, against the previous close at 4,870.05 points, a loss of 0.24 percent or 11.45 points.
Broader markets also closed in the red with the BSE midcap index 0.41 percent down and the BSE small cap index 0.61 percent lower.
Consumer durables, healthcare and auto stocks lost the most, while realty, IT and energy scrips saw buying interest.
The market breadth was negative, with 948 stocks advancing, compared to 1,851 on the decline and 74 remaining unchanged.
Among the gainers on the 30-scrip Sensex were Maruti Suzuki, up 2.38 percent at Rs.1,368.65; NTPC, up 1.36 percent at Rs.204.35; L&T, up 0.8 percent at Rs.1,499.75; and Tata Power, up 0.73 percent at Rs.1,258.90.
Top losers included Sun Pharma, down 2.51 percent at Rs.1,532.55; M&M, down 2.43 percent at Rs.956.65; Reliance Communications, down 1.96 percent at Rs.157.40; and Tata Motors, down 1.71 percent at Rs.687.15..
Most other Asian markets fared far worse with the benchmark Japanese index, Nikkei, losing 1.48 percent to close at 10,198.83 points, while the South Korean Kospi closed in the red, moving down 0.99 percent to 1,612.83 points.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng too ended lower at 20,467.74 points, down 0.75 percent.
However, the Chinese Shanghai composite index ended 1.33 percent up at 3,022.18 points.
European markets were trading on a weak note too.
Around closing bell here, the FTSE 100, the benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, was ruling 0.16 percent higher at 5,323.59 points, while its German peer DAX was trading at 5,590.41 points, down 0.24 percent.
The French CAC 40 index was also ruling lower at 3,699.61 points, down 0.2 percent.
