Mumbai, Feb 18 (Inditop.com) A benchmark index for Indian equities continued to trade on a sluggish note Thursday afternoon and was ruling 129 points in the red about 45 minutes before closing bell.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,421.2 points, was trading at 16,299.7 points, down 129.21 points or 0.79 percent from its previous close.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was at 4,878.8 points, against the previous close at 4,914 points, a loss of 0.72 percent or 35.2 points.

Broader market indices were also ruling in the red, with the BSE midcap index down 0.65 percent and the BSE small cap index trading 0.3 percent lower.

The market breadth was weak, with 1,038 stocks advancing, compared to 1,724 on the decline and 98 remaining unchanged.