Mumbai, Jan 6 (Inditop.com) A benchmark index of the Indian equities markets ended flat Wednesday, with IT stocks acting as a drag even as heavyweight scrip Reliance Industries gained smartly.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,719.47 points, ended at 17,701.13 points, up 14.89 points or 0.08 percent from its previous close at 17,686.24 points.
It had ruled in a tight range through the day.
Among the major contributors to the Sensex’s slackness were Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Larsen and Toubro.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty closed at 5,281.8 points against the previous close at 5,277.9 points, a gain of 0.07 percent.
Broader market indices did relatively better, with the BSE midcap index ending 0.68 percent up and the BSE small cap index closing 0.44 percent higher.
The market breadth was almost equally poised, with 1,493 stocks advancing, 1,402 declining and 75 remaining unchanged.
Among major gainers on the Sensex were Tata Power, up 4.61 percent at Rs.1,474.10; Grasim Industries, up 4.28 percent at Rs.2,743.05; Mahindra and Mahindra, up 2.39 percent at Rs.1,178.15; and DLF, up 2.38 percent at Rs.378.50.
Major losers were Maruti Suzuki, down 3.5 percent at Rs.1,462.60; Hindalco, down 2.45 percent at Rs.170.90; Reliance Infra, down 2.3 percent at Rs.1,163; and TCS, down 2.28 percent at Rs.733.80.
According to data with the markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors were net buyers, having bought scrips worth $229.86 million.
Most other Asian markets closed on the gaining side.
A key Japanese index, the Nikkei, Wednesday moved up closer to its 15-month high to end at 10,731.45 points, up 0.46 percent or 49.62 points.
The Kospi, the benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, ended 0.87 percent up at 1,705.32 points.
The Hang Seng, a benchmark index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, also closed higher, up 0.62 percent at 22,416.67 points.
In China, the Shanghai composite index shut shop 0.85 percent lower at 3,254.22 points.
Key European markets were trading weak with the FTSE 100 index, benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, ruling 0.22 percent down at 5,510.3 points.
The French index, CAC 40, was 0.1 percent lower at 4,008.95 points, while its German peer, the DAX, was 0.01 percent up at 6,032.49 points.
