Mid- and small-cap shares were trading on a positive note.
New Delhi:
The Indian equity benchmarks slipped into the red after opening higher on Friday, dragged by consumer durables stocks. Asian shares traded on a choppy note amid hawkish U.S. monetary policy and ongoing fluctuations in commodity markets due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Crude oil eased as the United States and allies considered releasing more oil from storage to cool markets. Brent crude fell 0.22 per cent to $118.77 per barrel and U.S. crude was down 0.5 per cent to $111.74 a barrel, but prices were still very high by historic standards.
Back home, the 30-share BSE Sensex fell 138 points or 0.24 per cent to 57,460, while the broader NSE Nifty moved 38 points or 0.22 per cent down to 17,185.
Mid- and small-cap shares were trading on a positive note as Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 0.37 per cent and small-cap shares surged 0.67 per cent.
Nine out of the 15 sector gauges — compiled by the National Stock Exchange — were trading in the red. Nifty Consumer Durables and Bank were underperforming the index by falling as much as 0.87 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively. However, Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Metal gained 0.49 per cent and 0.22 per cent, respectively.
On the stock-specific front, Titan was the top Nifty loser as the stock cracked 2.16 per cent to Rs 2,561.85. Tata Consumer Products, Maruti, Tech Mahindra and Asian Paints were also among the laggards.
However, the overall market breadth stood strong as 1,705 shares were advancing while 987 were declining on BSE.
On the 30-share BSE index, Titan, Maruti, TechM, Asian Paints, PowerGrid, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were among the top losers.
In contrast, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, SBI, Kotak Mahindra Bank and M&M were trading in the green.
Sensex had slipped 89 points or 0.15 per cent to close at 57,596 on Thursday, while Nifty had moved 23 points or 0.13 per cent lower to settle at 17,223.
