Mumbai, May 13 (Inditop) Indian markets turned edgy Wednesday ahead of the exit polls for the parliamentary elections, with a key index losing 138 points from its last closing figure at end of trade.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 12,201.93 points, fell 138.38 points or 1.14 percent from Tuesday’s close.
It had risen more than 300 points from the day’s lows about 30 minutes before the closing bell but slipped quite steeply to end trade at 12,019.65 points.
The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) shed 1.4 percent to close at 3,629.45 points.
Broader market indices also ended in the negative terrain, with the BSE midcap index moving down 0.13 percent, while the BSE smallcap index lost 0.48 percent.
The Sensex touched an intra-day high of 12,256.43 points and a low of 12,201.93 points.
All but one of the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE saw downward movement, with the indices for metal, IT and FMCG losing the most. Only consumer durables stocks saw marginal gains.
Among the top gainers on the Sensex were ACC, up 3.37 percent at Rs.614.85; HDFC, up 3.03 percent at Rs.1,897.10; Grasim, up 1.83 percent at Rs.1,803.20; and Ranbaxy, up 1.05 percent at Rs.177.50.
Losers included Tata Steel, down 3.67 percent at Rs.265.35; Sterlite, down 3.46 percent at Rs.475.25; ONGC, down 3.44 percent at Rs.852.50; and Jaiprakash Associates, down 2.9 percent at Rs.137.20.
The market breadth was mixed with 1,154 scrips advancing, 1,336 declining and 91 remaining unchanged.
Altogether, 42.31 crore shares worth Rs.4,943.62 crore were traded.
Data with the market watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), showed foreign funds were net buyers Monday lapping up scrips worth $99.6 million.
The NSE’s Volatility Index – a measure of the market’s expectation of volatility over the short term – stood at 50.31 points as of Tuesday. Anything above 35 points indicates risk.
In other key Asian markets, Tokyo markets ended in the green, with key index Nikkei dipping from the day’s high to end at 9,340.49 points, 41.88 points above its previous close.
The Hang Seng, a key index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ending trade marginally lower at 17,059.62 points, a decrease of 0.55 percent or 94.02 points.
Volatility was prevalent in European markets too, with the FTSE in Britain ruling 19.46 points down to 4,406.08 points and its French peer CAC 40 trading only 0.95 points higher at 3,232.05 points.
