Markets End on a Flat Note in Red

The markets closed marginally lower, after a quiet day of trading, with the BSE benchmark index down 17 points at 19,584 and the Nifty dropped 10 points to close the day at 5,874. In the broader markets, the small cap index held on to its gains, closing up 0.2% while the midcap index closed flat. The market activity was more stock specific than sector specific. Market heavyweight Reliance Industries and Infosys were in the limelight throughout the day with their divergent movements. Among the sectoral indices, Consumer Durables up 0.9% lead the gains throughout the day followed by IT and Capital Goods gaining 0.8% and 0.5% respectively. The Oil & Gas index dropped by nearly 2% owing to Reliance Industries trading in the negative territory, followed by Realty which went down 1%. However, Bankex and Power indices closed flat. The market breadth was negative. Of the total 3001 stocks traded on the BSE, 1558 stocks declined while 1340 advanced.