The Sensex and the Nifty ended the session flat on Monday as market participants remained cautious ahead of the Railway Budget, Economic Survey and Union Budget this week.
The Sensex ended up 0.8 point (0.00 per cent) at 19,317.81 and the Nifty was 0.45 point (0.01 per cent) at 5,850.75.
Volume toppers were Infosys, SBI, Hindalco, L&T and Tata Steel. Top five Sensex gainers were Infosys, Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, BHEL and TCS, while the top five losers were Cipla, L&T, Coal India, ONGC and RIL.
On the BSE, buying was seen in the stocks of IT, TECk, Auto and Power sectors, while Realty, Oil & Gas, PSU and Capital Goods sector stocks succumbed to selling pressure.
Select mid-cap stocks, including some market favourites such as Welspun Corp, ABG Shipyard, Aanjaneya Lifecare Ltd and Eros International, came under savage selling, with some of them remaining frozen after they shed 20 per cent of their value, with no clear indication as to what led to the avalanche of selling.
European shares were up on speculation Japan may appoint a central bank chief who favours stimulus and as investors awaited the results of Italy’s parliamentary election.
Investors also awaited testimony on Tuesday from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke for further clues of when the Fed may slow or stop buying bonds.