Indian benchmark indices ended Tuesday’s session almost flat, with a slight negative bias, as gains in PSU bank, metal and auto stocks were offset by selling pressure in IT, FMCG, realty and pharma shares.
The Sensex closed at 84,675.08, slipping 20.46 points or 0.02 per cent, while the Nifty settled marginally lower at 25,938.85, down 3.25 points or 0.01 per cent.
Markets witnessed a cautious mood as investors balanced sector-specific buying against profit booking in select heavyweights.
On the Sensex, stocks such as Eternal, Infosys, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement and Bajaj Finance ended among the top losers, weighing on the index. On the other hand, M&M, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finserv and Axis Bank provided support and closed higher.
The broader market also showed mild weakness. The Nifty Midcap 100 index ended lower by 0.15 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 declined 0.28 per cent.
Sector-wise, realty, IT and pharma stocks remained under pressure. The Nifty Realty index fell 0.84 per cent, while the Nifty IT and Pharma indices declined 0.74 per cent and 0.17 per cent, respectively.
In contrast, strong buying was seen in PSU bank, metal and auto stocks. The Nifty PSU Bank index jumped 1.69 per cent, the Nifty Metal index rose 2.03 per cent, and the Nifty Auto index gained 1.08 per cent.
–IANS
