Indian markets on Tuesday saw a volatile session, ending the day down 0.1 per cent. The BSE Sensex ended the day at 19387, down 0.1 per cent, while the NSE Nifty closed at 5898, down 0.2 per cent. The benchmark indices had gained as much 0.8 per cent during the first half of the trading session, but slid towards the end as investors booked profits.
“Market participants were jittery as the BJP, Left and few other parties marched outside the parliament after the government rejected opposition’s demand to refer an amendment bill to the standing committee even as it was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday. The mid-cap and small-cap banking stocks were among the top losers after reports stated that the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill 2012 in the Lok Sabha saw stiff resistance and its smooth passage in the coming days appears to be a challenge for now,” said an end-of-day report from brokerage firm IIFL.
On the BSE, only the FMCG index was up one per cent. The BSE Realty index was down the most, by 1.9 per cent. The TECk, PSU index, oil&gas and IT sector indices were down about one per cent.
Among the Sensex stocks, the top five gainers were Jindal Steel, Bajaj Auto, HUL, Sun Pharma and HDFC. The top five laggards were BHEL, Hindalco, NTPC, Coal India and Tata Power.