The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty ended the day marginally up by 23 points and 7.25 points. There was much volatility during the trading session due to the F&O expiry. Sensex closed at 16,990 while the Nifty closed at 5,148.
The markets ended on a flat note as investors were cautious before the EU summit.
“Sentiment improved domestically on reports of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, taking over the Finance portfolio and meeting senior officials to plan out the country's economic revival steps. Volatility associated with F&O expiry day was very much into play, as Nifty, after a positive start, pared all its gains during the afternoon session,” said Ms Shanu Goel, Senior Research Analyst, Bonanza Portfolio.
On the global front, European markets fell before the EU summit. They were down by about 1 per cent each. American markets gained and Asian markets partly gained.
The top gainers on the BSE were Tata Steel, Hero MotoCorp and NTPC, while the top losers were GAIL, Sterlite and Hindalco.