Markets End in Green on a Flat Note

The benchmark indices ended the first session of the week with marginal gains after European finance ministers authorized a loan payout to Greece and US manufacturing accelerated in June. The Sensex ended at 18,814, higher by 51 points and the Nifty ended at 5650, up 23 points.  The midcap index ended at 6974, higher by 70 points and the small cap index shut shop at 8318, up 93 points. The markets had started the day with a bang in the wake of firm global cues, with the BSE benchmark gaining nearly 200 points and the Nifty testing the crucial 5,700 mark at opening bell. The Asian bourses were going strong; Hang Seng, Nikkei and Shanghai were up more than 1% each. Going forward, the monsoons and first quarter earnings will determine the future course of the markets. HDFC unveils its first quarter results on July 8 and Infosys will declare its numbers on July 12. The market breadth was positive. Out of 2964 stocks traded on the BSE, there were 1768 advancing stocks as against 1073 declines.