Sensex pares initial gains to end flat, Nifty holds 17,850; IT stocks see selling

NEW DELHI: Benchmark indices wobbled around the flatline during the day on Monday as concerns over the Evergrande crisis and rising yields played in investors’ minds. However, it managed to eke out gains at the end.

Energy counters saw buying, while realty names continued their stellar run. Auto stocks were also in demand ahead of the September sales data that will be out this week. IT and pharma stocks were under selling pressure.

The 30-share pack Sensex added 29.41 points or 0.05 per cent to close at 60,077.88. The index gyrated in a range of 525 points. Its broader peer NSE Nifty advanced 1.90 points or 0.01 per cent to 17,855.10.

"Due to profit-booking in IT, Pharma and FMCG, domestic markets failed to uphold its winning streak to close flat in a volatile session. Realty stocks continued its rally on positive developments in the sector while the sentiments in the auto sector were lifted on the expectation of better sales numbers for September,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

Market at a glance:

• Patel Engineering spikes 8 per cent after bagging Rs 1,251 cr order
• Inox Leisure, PVR rises up to 7 per cent as Maharashtra to lift ban
• United Breweries slumps 3 per cent after CCI slaps hefty fines
• India VIX, a barometer of fear and volatility, surges 7 per cent
• ONGC adds 3 per cent on rising crude oil prices

Among the bluechip names, Maruti Suzuki was the top gainer, rising 6.44 per cent. M&M, Tata Motors, ONGC, Hero MotoCorps, NTPC, Bajaj Auto, Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank were other gainers.

HCL Tech was the top loser in the Nifty pack, falling 4.36 per cent. Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Divi’s Labs, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, Eicher Motors, L&T and JSW Steel were others that ended in the red.

Broader market indices ended higher, outperforming their headline peers. Nifty Smallcap rose 0.03 per cent and Nifty Midcap advanced 0.33 per cent. Nifty 500, the broadest index on NSE, ended down 0.02 per cent.

Sterling Wilson Solar, Gujarat Narmada Fertilisers, Vakrangee, Prestige Estate Projects, Indian Hotels and IRCTC were top gainers from mid and smallcap indices, climbing in the range of 4-10 per cent.

Mindtree, Coforge, Mphasis, Sequent Scientific, Cyient and Bajaj Electricals were major losers from broader market space, falling in the range of 3-6 per cent.

The sectoral matrix on the NSE was mixed. Nifty Realty continued its rally, rising another 2.99 per cent. Nifty Auto and Nifty Financial Services were other major gainers. Nifty IT was the biggest loser, down nearly 3 per cent. Nifty Pharma and Nifty FMCG also declined.

Market breadth was in favour of losers as 1,636 stocks ended in the green, while 1,718 names settled with cuts. As many as 236 securities hit 52-week highs, mostly from the smallcap space. Meanwhile, 33 names hit 52-week lows, mostly from the microcap space. About 370 stocks hit upper circuit limits and 230 lower circuit limits.

European markets were trading higher. London-based FTSE was up 0.23 per cent while Paris and Frankfurt advanced 0.50 per cent and 0.70 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea ended in the green. Rest of the markets registered losses.