Indian equity benchmarks ended on a mixed note on Monday, with the BSE Sensex declining 142 points while the NSE Nifty closed largely unchanged, as investors weighed mixed global cues. The 30-share Sensex settled at 58,962.12, down 142.16 points or 0.24 percent, while the broader Nifty inched up 0.65 points to close at 17,586.35.
Market Performance
During the session, the Sensex oscillated between a high of 59,182.14 and a low of 58,877.68. The Nifty touched an intraday peak of 17,640.80 and a low of 17,552.40. The market breadth was negative, with 1,787 stocks declining against 1,525 advances on the BSE.
Top Gainers and Losers
Among the Sensex pack, the top gainers were HDFC Bank, HCL Technologies, and Titan, while the laggards included Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, and ICICI Bank. In the Nifty 50, the top performers were Adani Ports, Tata Motors, and HDFC Life, while the worst performers were Coal India, BPCL, and ONGC.
Sectoral Trends
On the sectoral front, the BSE IT index gained 0.5 percent, while the BSE Healthcare index rose 0.3 percent. However, the BSE Oil & Gas index fell 0.8 percent, and the BSE Power index declined 0.6 percent. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ended flat.
Global Cues
Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 rising 0.5 percent, while China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.4 percent. European markets traded lower in early deals, with the FTSE 100 down 0.3 percent. US stock futures pointed to a weak opening, as investors remained cautious ahead of key economic data and central bank meetings.
Analyst View
According to analysts, the market remained range-bound due to a lack of fresh triggers. The focus now shifts to the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting and domestic inflation data for further direction. The Indian rupee weakened by 6 paise to close at 82.87 against the US dollar.
