Sensex ekes out gains…ends above 18k

Indian markets ended on a flat note erasing almost all the early gains. Bulls extended its upswing in the opening trades and entered in a narrow trading band. Benchmark indices were unable to hold on despite firm global cues. Shares of Wipro which gained after the company announced its Q1 results also ended lower by a percent.



"After a strong start Indian stock indices lost momentum as the outcome of the European banks' stress tests kept the traders and investors jittery", says Amar Ambani, Vice President, Research IIFL.

The Sensex added 18 points and ended at 18,130, while the Nifty ended flat at 5,444.

Among the BSE sectoral indices, the BSE Teck index was top gainer; the index gained 0.7%, followed by BSE Capital Goods index was up 0.5% and BSE Consumer Duables index was up 0.5%. Among the top losers, BSE Realty index was down 1.4% and BSE Metal index was down 0.8%.

Even the Mid-Cap index and the Small-cap index marginally slipped 0.4% and 0.5%.

Outside the frontline indices, the big gainers in the broader market were APIL, Shriram Trans, UCO Bank, Allahabad Bank and OBC. On the other hand, losers included Praj Ind, IFCI, HDIL, Biocon and GTL.