Domestic markets end with loss of around 0.3 %
Benchmark domestic indices today ended with a loss of around 0.3 percent today, reacting to weak global cues and a sell-off in IT shares after ratings agency Moody’s downgraded the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating. In a range-bound day of trade, the 30-share index at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex, slipped 271 points to close at 82,059. The National Stock Exchange Nifty-50 fell 74 points to settle at 24,945.
However, broader market indices ended with gains. The BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.27 per cent and the Small-Cap index rose 0.75 per cent.
In the Sensex index, 20 out of 30 companies ended with losses. Among the top laggards, Eternal fell 3.15 percent, Infosys lost 1.92 percent, TCS fell 1.23 per cent, and Tech Mahindra fell 1.19 percent. On the downside, PowerGrid rose 1.27 percent, Bajaj Finance gained 0.95 percent, and NTPC rose 0.58 percent.
In Sectoral Indices at the BSE, 13 out of 21 sectors registered gains. Realty rose 2.22 per cent, healthcare gained 0.58 per cent while Utilities rose 0.42 per cent. Conversely, Focused IT lost 1.33 per cent, IT slipped 1.23 per cent, and Teck fell 1.07 per cent.
The overall market breadth at the BSE was positive as shares of 2,531 companies advanced, shares of 1,565 companies declined, while shares of 177 companies remained unchanged. At the National Stock Exchange, 67 companies hit their 52-week high, while 19 hit their 52-week low.