Mumbai, Aug 14 (Inditop.com) Indian equities markets were trading on a volatile note a little before noon Friday, with a key index still in the red and 52 points below its last closing figure.

At 11.42 a.m., the 30-scrip benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Sensex, which opened higher at 15,530.38 points, was at 15,472.91 points — 45.58 points or 0.29 percent lower than Wednesday’s close.

At around the same time, the S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), too, was trading in the negative terrain at 4,595.6 points, down 0.2 percent.

Broader market indices were, however, ruling in the green, with the BSE midcap index trading 0.28 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index moving up 0.93 percent.

Of the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE, those for IT, FMCG and telecom stocks were losing the most, while consumer durables and energy scrips gained.

The market breadth was tilted towards the positive because of buying interest in scrips of lower market capitalised companies. A total of 1,322 stocks were on the rise, compared to 886 on the decline, while 74 remained unchanged.

Among gainers on the 30 stocks on the Sensex were ONGC, up 4.85 percent at Rs.1,220.90; Hindalco, up 2.21 percent at Rs.111; Reliance Infra, up 2.18 percent at Rs.1,193.55, and M&M, up 2.14 percent at Rs.811.90.

Among losers were HDFC, down 1.98 percent at Rs.2,315.75; ITC, down 1.8 percent at Rs.234.65; Jaiprakash Associates, down 1.72 percent at Rs.220.45, and Wipro, down 1.63 percent at Rs.507.10.

Other Asian markets were mixed with the Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closing 80.14 points higher than its previous close at 10,597.33 points, a gain of 0.76 percent.

The Hang Seng, the primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was however ruling in the red at 20,696.55 points, down 164.75 points or 0.79 percent.

In the US, stocks rose Thursday led by the banking sector and sweeping aside reports of a decline in retail sales.

While the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 36.58 points or 0.39 percent to close at 9,398.19, the broader Standard and Poor’s 500 Index climbed 6.92 points or 0.69 percent to 1,012.73 points.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index rose back above the 2,000-point mark, gaining 10.63 points or 0.53 percent to 2,009.35 points.