The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) conducted muhurat trading on the occasion of Diwali, marking the beginning of Samvat 2083. Benchmark domestic equity indices failed to hold on to their initial gains and ended the day’s special trading session in the negative zone.

The Sensex ended marginally lower by 29 points to close at 80 thousand 999, while the Nifty dipped 44 points, or 0.18 per cent to settle at 24 thousand 986. Conversely, the broader market on the National Stock Exchange ended with gains. The Midcap 100 index rose over 0.1 per cent, while the Smallcap 100 index jumped one per cent.

In the Sensex pack, 16 out of 30 companies edged upward. Among the top gainers, SunPharma surged almost three per cent, Tata Steel added 1.9 per cent and Maruti advanced 0.8 per cent. In the top laggards, Mahindra and Mahindra dipped over 0.9 per cent, Indigo dropped 0.9 per cent and Trent fell 0.8 per cent.

Among the Sectoral indices at the BSE, 18 out of 28 sectors ended in positive territory. Among the top gainers, Healthcare advanced over 1.6 per cent, Housing Finance rose 1.1 per cent and Industrials added one per cent. In contrast, Realty slipped half a per cent, top 10 banks, Private Banks, and Bankex dropped almost 0.3 per cent, while Consumer Durables lost 0.2 per cent.

The overall market breadth at the BSE was positive, as shares of 3 thousand 253 companies advanced, 947 declined and 254 remained unchanged.