Sensex closes flat, IT and auto stocks gain

Mumbai: Indian equity indices closed with marginal losses as shares of heavyweights like Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank weighed on them.

At closing, Sensex was down 33 points at 84,266 and Nifty was down 13 points at 25,796.

Buying was seen in the midcap and smallcap stocks. Nifty midcap 100 index was at 60,358, up 204 points or 0.34 per cent, and Nifty smallcap 100 index was at 19,331, up 151 points or 0.79 per cent.

The market sentiment was positive. On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 2,308 shares were in the green, 1,655 in the red and 91 closed without any change.

Among the sectoral indices, Auto, IT, PSU bank, pharma, metal and media contributed the most. Fin service, FMCG, realty, energy, private bank and PSE were the major laggards.

In the Sensex pack, Tech Mahindra, M&M, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infosys, SBI, HCL Tech, Wipro, Nestle, ICICI Bank, TCS, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finserv and Sun Pharma were the top gainers. IndusInd Bank, Asian Paints, HUL, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Titan, Reliance, NTPC and L&T were the top losers.

Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst of LKP Securities said, "Nifty formed a Doji pattern with a long upper shadow on the daily chart, indicating market indecision. Heavy call writing at 25800 suggests it may act as strong resistance if sustained. Immediate support lies at 25750, and a decisive break below this could push the index to 25600/25500."

"On the higher side, a move above 25800 may propel the Nifty towards 26050, where sellers could become active again," De added.

Gold prices traded positively with gains of Rs 300 in MCX at Rs 75,890 per 10 grams and in Comex near $2649 per ounce, up by $15.