Mumbai, Aug 6 (Inditop.com) A key index of the Indian equities markets was ruling in the red Thursday after a weak start and shortly before noon was 81 points lower than its previous close.
At 11.30 a.m., the 30-scrip benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Sensex, which opened lower at 15,881.47 points, was at 15,822.66 points — 81.17 points or 0.51 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 red at 4,674.2 points, down 0.42 percent.
However, broader market indices were trading in the green, with the BSE midcap index trading 0.22 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index moving up 0.80 percent.
On the BSE, consumer durables, auto and IT stocks came under selling pressure, while healthcare and PSU stocks found favour among buyers.
The market breadth was tilted towards the positive, with 1,315 stocks rising, compared to 953 declining on the BSE and 83 remaining unchanged.
Prominent gainers on the Sensex at this time were Sun Pharma, up 1.92 percent at Rs.1,205; BHEL, up 1.48 percent at Rs.2,346; ICICI Bank, up 1.09 percent at Rs.733.45, and DLF, up 1.09 percent at Rs.395.65.
Among losers on the Sensex were Maruti Suzuki, down 2.08 percent at Rs.1,411; Hero Honda, down 1.85 percent at Rs.1,573.90; Jaiprakash Associates, down 1.82 percent at Rs.239.80, and Tata Motors, down 1.32 percent at Rs.443.50.
In other Asian markets, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed higher at 10,388.09 points, up 135.56 points.
The Hang Seng, the primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was ruling in the green at 20,593.79 points, up 99.02 points.
