Markets End on a Negative Note

With no cues from the international market and traders rolling over positions in the derivatives segment ahead of the expiry of the May derivatives contracts on Thursday, the BSE benchmark index closed in the negative, down 164 points at 17,847. The Nifty lost 45 points to settle for the day at 5,348, up 19 points from the day's low of 5,329.In the broader markets, the small cap and the midcap indices lost 0.6% each outperforming the BSE benchmark index which closed down 0.9%. At the start of the trade for the day, the markets opened below the psychological mark of 18k at 17,976 on the back of subdued cues from the Asian markets and the losses registered in the realty space. Thereon the markets edged lower through the day where the Nifty slipped to a 12 week low when the index reached the day's low of 5,329. Buying by Foreign Institutional Investors has remained subdued as they bought shares worth only  Rs 188.16 crore yesterday, while they have been net sellers of shares of Rs 5254 crore so far this month. The market breadth was negative. Of the total 2878 stocks traded on the BSE, 1649 stocks declined while 1080 advanced.