Markets Close in Red; Led by Healthcare and Banking

The markets closed the day on a negative note. The Sensex closed the day at 18396 down by 99 points while the Nifty closed the day at 5528 down by 28 points. The main draggers for the day are the Healthcare, Banking and Auto indices. Some support was provided by the FMCG and Consumer Durables indices that managed to close in green preventing the markets to fall further. The market breadth is negative. Of the total 2893 stocks traded on the BSE, 1465 stocks have declined while 1308 advanced. On the global front, European stocks dropped for a sixth day, for the longest losing streak since March, after Ben S. Bernanke gave no hint that the central bank will unveil a new round of stimulus. U.S. futures and Asian shares retreated.