Indian markets ended the session in the red on the back of weak global cues.
The BSE Sensex closed at 18,632, down 0.3 per cent (62 points). The NSE Nifty ended the day at 5,663, down 0.2 per cent (10 points).
“Nifty opened on a negative note, tracking weak cues from global markets. It continued to trade in a narrow range of 5,638-5,675 in today’s session also. The market has become volatile and choppy in the last three trading sessions and volatility was witnessed ahead of F&O expiry day tomorrow. Market breadth was marginally negative and volumes were lower than the last trading session. Buying was seen in select midcaps which continued to outperform the benchmark indices. European indices opened lower ahead of Spain outcome later this week and this also underscored the negative sentiment,” said Nidhi Sarswat, Senior Research Analyst, Bonanza Portfolio.
Analysts said that buying was also seen in the stocks of defensive sectors like FMCG and healthcare. On the BSE, the FMCG and healthcare indices were up 0.6 per cent each. Metal sector index was the worst performer (down 1.2 per cent) followed by TECk and IT sector.
Among the Sensex, the top five stocks were Cipla, Hero MotoCorp, SBI, ITC and Wipro. The top five laggards were Bharti Airtel, Coal India, Hindalco, Tata Motors and Dr Reddy's Lab.
The rupee is currently trading at Rs 53.53 to the dollar.