Benchmark indices closed in the positive territory on Monday. BSE Sensex rose by 131.18 pts, or 0.17 per cent, to close at 77,341.08, and Nifty 50 was up 36.75 pts, or 0.16 per cent, at 23,537.85.

Sectoral indices closed in a mix. Nifty auto was up 0.87 per cent to end at 25,309.80. Nifty media fell 1.87 per cent to 2,001.60.

The top gainers of the Nifty 50 pack were Mahindra & Mahindra (2.86%), Power Grid (2.22%), Shriram Finance (2.17%), Sun Pharma (1.99%), and Grasim (1.96%). IndusInd (-2.42%), Cipla (-2.19%), Adani Ports (-1.70%), Coal India (-1.20%), and Tata Steel (-1.19%) were the major laggards.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services, said, “Despite the market being on a consolidative path, sectoral churning is visible in FMCG and consumer durables in anticipation of the budget expectations. Better tax collection and dividends from the RBI will encourage GoI on rural spending and tax benefits. In mid- and small caps, though the margin of safety in terms of valuation remains lacking, investors are keener on the growth story in capital goods, infra, and auto.”

A total of 4,155 stocks were traded on the BSE of which 2,120 advanced,1872 stocks declined, and 163 remained unchanged. The number of stocks that hit a 52-week high was 301 and those that hit a 52-week low was 31.

In addition, 424 stocks hit the upper circuit and 239 hit the lower circuit.

The major stocks that hit a 52-week high on the NSE include Rossell India (20%), Pilani Investments (20%), Route Mobiles (13.85%), BF Investment (10.15%), and RailTel (4.20%).