By IANS,
Mumbai : A benchmark index for Indian equities Wednesday closed below the 20,000 mark, pulled 148 points down by profit booking.
The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 20,086.89 points, closed at 19,956.34 points, down 148.52 points or 0.74 percent from its previous close at 20,104.86 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 5,984.6, down 0.74 percent or 44.9 points.
Broader markets were in the red. The BSE midcap closed 0.67 percent down, while the BSE smallcap index ended 0.48 percent lower.
Metals, FMCG and consumer durables company stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. Gains were seen in some IT stocks.
The market breadth was negative with 1,128 scrips advancing, compared to 1,822 stocks declining and 136 remaining unchanged.
The major gainers on the Sensex were Tata Motors, up 2.51 percent at Rs.1,106.65; Infosys, up 0.42 percent at Rs.3,029.20; Hero Honda, up 0.34 percent at Rs.1,861.75 and Tata Steel, up 0.2 percent at Rs.653.10.
Among the losers were Sterlite Industries, down 8.5 percent at Rs.161.50; ITC, down 2.66 percent at Rs.173.65; Bharti Airtel, down 2.51 percent at Rs.363.40 and Maruti Suzuki, down 2.5 percent at Rs.1,430.35.
Data available with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) showed that foreign institutional investors (FIIs) poured in $198.28 million into the equities markets Wednesday.
Other Asian markets were enthused by hints that the US Federal Reserve may introduce more stimulus measures to back the economic recovery in the world’s largest economy.
Wall Street’s positive closing Tuesday also helped improve sentiments.
The Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.67 percent higher at 9,559.38 points.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 1.22 percent up at 22,378.67 points, while the Chinese Shanghai Composite index closed flat.
The European bourses were trading lower following concerns over fiscal conditions in some of the peripheral economies in the Euro Zone.
At closing bell here, the FTSE 100 was trading at 5,566.4 points, down 0.22 percent almost unchanged from its previous close.
The German DAX was ruling 0.17 percent lower at 6,265.22 points and the French CAC 40 was trading 0.14 percent down at 3,756.95 points.