Markets End on a Flat Note

The markets ended on a flat note today, after gyrating between zones during intra-day trades. The Sensex was up 10 points at 18,528, after having recovered 161 points from the day's low of 18,367. The Nifty, on the other hand, closed almost unchanged at 5,551.The international cues were not encouraging either. The European markets opened in the negative while the Asian markets closed mixed. Adding to the downtrend, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued to remain net sellers. They sold shares worth Rs 655 crore on Friday, while DIIs were net buyers of Rs 1,081crore in equities. FIIs have been net sellers of Indian equities since April 25 and have sold Rs 7032.63 crore in the past 10 trading sessions. On the other hand, most of the FMCG  stocks rose ahead of Hindustan Unilever's Q4 result making it the top gainer among the sectoral indices which gained 1.2%. Hindustan Unilever up 3.5%, Nestle India up 3%, Marico, United Spirits and Colgate Palmolive which added 1% each were the top gainers. The metal index that added 0.7% was the other notable gainer.