Mumbai, Jan 8 (Inditop.com) A key index of the Indian equities markets was ruling in a narrow range with a downward bias Friday, with financial and IT stocks continuing to be under selling pressure.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened at 17,603.87 points and was ruling at 17,588.67 points, down 29.82 points or 0.16 percent from its previous close at 17,615.72 points, a little before noon.
Around the same time, at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was at 5,257.7 points, against the previous close at 5,263.1 points, a loss of 0.1 percent.
Broader market indices were doing relatively better, with the BSE midcap index up 0.69 percent and the BSE small cap index ruling 1.22 percent higher.
The market breadth was positive, with as many as 1,912 stocks advancing, compared to 774 on the decline, while 81 remained unchanged.
Other Asian markets were a mixed bag, with a key Japanese index, the Nikkei, ruling 0.71 percent higher at 10,757.92 points, while the Korean Kospi, was up a similar 0.7 percent at 1,695.26 points.
In China, the Shanghai composite index was ruling 0.21 percent lower at 3,186.03 points, while the Hang Seng, a benchmark index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was down 0.17 percent at 22,232.62 points.
