Benchmark domestic equity indices gave up their initial gains and ended on a negative note today. The Sensex dropped 104 points to close at 78 thousand 181. The Nifty dipped 32 points to settle at 24 thousand and 399. Both the indices dropped 0.13 per cent.
In the broader market on the National Stock Exchange, the Midcap 100 index fell 0.3 per cent while the Smallcap 100 index lost more than half a per cent.
Earlier, markets opened on a positive note and traded with gains for most of the session. However, both indices lost momentum in the final hour of trade, weighed down by profit booking and weak global cues.
In the Sensex pack, shares of 16 out of 30 companies registered losses. Among the top underperformers, Trent nosedived over 12.4 per cent, Adani Ports dropped 1.6 per cent, and Bharat Electronics Limited lost over one and a half per cent. Conversely, HCL Tech soared 3.1 per cent, Tech Mahindra as well as Infosys surged 2.8 per cent and Titan jumped 2.6 per cent.
In the sectoral indices on the BSE, 20 out of 25 sectors ended in negative zone. Among the key laggards, Capital Goods shed over 1.7 per cent, Realty fell 1.6 per cent, and Industrials lost one and a half per cent. In contrast, Focused IT jumped more than 2.2 per cent, IT rose 2.1 per cent, and Consumer Durables added over 0.6 per cent.
The overall market breadth at the BSE was negative, as shares of 2 thousand 633 declined, 1 thousand 599 companies advanced, and 165 remained unchanged.
