Mumbai, Feb 22 (Inditop.com) A benchmark index for Indian equities ended on a flat note Monday with late sales dragging it down from its intra-day high.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,191.32 points, ended at 16,237.05 points, up 45.42 points or 0.28 percent from its previous close.
It had touched an intra-day high of 16,423.23 points, having risen over 231 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty closed at 4,856.4 points, against the previous close at 4,844.9 points, a marginal rise of 0.24 percent or 11.5 points.
Broader markets fared worse with the selling pressure pulling the BSE midcap index down 0.59 percent and the BSE small cap index falling by 1.05 percent.
IT, metals and telecom stocks gained the most, while realty, consumer durables, and healthcare scrips came under selling pressure.
The market breadth was negative, with 906 stocks advancing, compared to 1,927 on the decline and 74 remaining unchanged.
Among the gainers on the 30-scrip Sensex were Hindalco, up 2.6 percent at Rs.153.65; Hindustan Unilever, up 1.68 percent at Rs.245; Tata Steel, up 1.68 percent at Rs.572; and Hero Honda, up 1.59 percent at Rs.1,706.45.
Top losers included DLF, down 2.13 percent at Rs.285.10; Grasim Industries, down 1.44 percent at Rs.2,642.60; Reliance Infra, down 1.4 percent at Rs.988.50; and Reliance Communications, down 0.87 percent at Rs.160.40.
According to data available with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors were net buyers Monday, having bought scrips worth $63.14 million.
Other Asian markets, however, closed with sizeable gains.
The benchmark Japanese index, Nikkei, gained 2.74 percent to close at 10,400.47 points, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 2.43 percent higher at 20,377.27 points.
The South Korean Kospi too closed in the green, moving up 2.08 percent to 1,627.1 points.
However, Chinese exchanges which reopened Monday after the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, were in the red. The Shanghai composite index ended 0.49 percent down at 3,003.4 points.
European markets were nervous after a weak start.
Around closing bell here, the FTSE 100, the benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, was ruling 0.19 percent higher at 5,368.22 points, while its German peer DAX was trading at 5,713.43 points, down 0.15 percent.
The French CAC 40 index was also ruling lower at 3,766.76 points, down 0.07 percent.
