Mumbai, Jan 7 (Inditop.com) A benchmark index of the Indian equities markets closed 85 points lower Thursday, with key IT and financial stocks coming under selling pressure.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,701.97 points, ended at 17,615.72 points, down 85.41 points or 0.48 percent from its previous close at 17,701.13 points.
Among the major contributors to the Sensex’s slackness were Infosys, HDFC, Tata Consultancy Services and ICICI Bank.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty closed at 5,263.1 points against the previous close at 5,281.8 points, a loss of 0.35 percent.
Broader market indices were mixed, with the BSE midcap index ending flat and the BSE small cap index closing 0.67 percent higher.
The market breadth was positive, with 1,638 stocks advancing, 1,237 declining and 94 remaining unchanged.
Among major gainers on the Sensex were Hindalco, up 2.4 percent at Rs.175; Reliance Industries, up 1.51 percent at Rs.1,105.20; Tata Steel, up 1.16 percent at Rs.649.40, and Reliance Communications, up 0.96 percent at Rs.183.45.
Major losers included Tata Motors, down 3.37 percent at Rs.784.75; TCS, down 2.61 percent at Rs.714.65; Grasim, down 2.53 percent at Rs.2,673.65; and Hero Honda, down 2.51 percent at Rs.1,653.35.
According to data with the markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors were net buyers, having bought scrips worth $181.93 million.
Other major Asian markets closed in the red.
A key Japanese index, the Nikkei, ended 0.46 percent lower at 10,681.66 points.
The Kospi, the benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, closed 1.28 percent down at 1,683.45 points.
The Hang Seng, a benchmark index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, also closed lower, down 0.66 percent at 22,269.45 points.
The Shanghai composite index shut shop 1.89 percent lower at 3,192.78 points.
Key European markets were trading weak with the FTSE 100 index, benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, ruling 0.15 percent down at 5,521.74 points.
The French index, CAC 40, was 0.29 percent lower at 4,006.09 points, while its German peer, the DAX, was 0.53 percent down at 6,002.16 points.
