Nifty flirts around 4900

Today's major news

Ashok Leylend’s net profit in Q3FY2010 zooms by 454%; the stock rises 3.20%

Titan Industries surges ahead on strong Q3FY2010 numbers; the stock shots 13.67% up

Larsen & Toubro wins Rs2,155 crore orders from NFL; the stock closes 0.56% lower

IVRCL bags orders of Rs1,125 crore; the stock closes 3.49% higher

Mahindra & Mahindra flares up on strong vehicle sales: the stock jumps 2.70%

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Post-market summary

Global signals

European stocks were trading mixed as FTSE 100 was trading 0.23% higher while CAC 40 was trading 0.19% down.

Among major Asian indices, Hang Seng, Nikkei and Kospi closed higher while Straits Times, Jakarta Composite and Shanghai Composite ended lower. SGX Nifty ended five points higher.

US stock futures opened higher on Monday as investors eye US data for personal income and construction spending as well as the Institute for Supply Management's January manufacturing index.

Indian indices

Pessimistic cues from overseas markets saw the Sensex open 19 points lower at 16339 and extend its losses to touch the day’s low of 16161. However, robust January sales reading of automakers and continuous buying in consumer durable stocks helped the Sensex recoup its losses and touch the day’s high of 16422. The Sensex ended two points lower while Nifty closed 17 points higher at 4900 level.

Sensex sentiment

The market breadth, the number of advancing shares to declining shares, was fairly positive. Of the total 2,909 stocks traded on the BSE, 2,165 stocks advanced, whereas 702 stocks declined. Forty-two stocks closed unchanged.

Sectoral & stock screening

Of the 13 sector indices, only BSE FMCG (down 0.66%), BSE IT and BSE Bankex were down marginally. BSE Realty (up 5.70%), BSE HC (up 2.55%) and BSE Auto (up 1.69%) were the top gainers.

On stocks’ front, Titan Industries topped the chart surging by 13.67% followed by Lupin (up 10.81%) and Bhushan Steel (up 10.35%). Among losers, KSK Energy slid the most by 7.58%, followed by Bajaj Auto that fell by 3.29% and Max India that shed 3.16%.

Viewing volumes

On stock turnover front, over 1.40 crore shares of India’s second biggest realtor Unitech changed hands on the BSE followed by wind turbine major Suzlon Energy (1.11 crore shares), public sector unit Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (0.71 crore shares), industrial finance company IFCI (0.71 crore shares) and Ispat Industries (0.54 crore shares).