Sensex settles 39 points higher; IT, pharma stocks decline
Markets ended flat on Friday dragged by uncertainty over announcement of any revival package by the government and weak global cues. Indices remained lacklustre for better part of the day, only to turn volatile in the afternoon trading session.
The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex settled with gains of 39 points, or 0.10 per cent, at 37,350 levels led by banking and automobile stocks. The gains were, however, capped by losses in the technology and metal scrips. Power Grid, Maruti Suzuki, YES Bank, and IndusInd Bank were the top gainers at the 30-share index, while TCS, Vedanta, HCL Tech, and HDFC were the top laggards. The broader Nifty50, too, closed at 11,048-mark, up 18 points or 0.17 per cent.
Sectorally, public sector banks gained the most, with the Nifty PSU Bank index closing 1.5 per cent higher. This was followed by Nifty auto index, up 1.15 per cent. Nifty IT and pharma indices ended with cuts of 0.65 per cent and 0.77 per cent, respectively.
In the intra-day trade, the Sensex and Nifty50 slumped to lows of 36,974 and 10,924 levels, down 337 points and 105 points respectively.
In the broader market, S&P BSE mid-cap ended the day at 13,491 level, up 14 points or 0.10 per cent. Further, S&P BSE small-cap settled at 12,585 level, up 14 points, or 0.11 per cent.