Sensex retreats...Ends below 20k; Nifty below 6k

The Indian markets ended in the negative terrain for the second straight trading session amid weak cues from the European markets. After starting with smart gains, the benchmark indices were unable to hold on to their gains on the back of profit booking witnessed at higher levels.



Selling in the Metals stock was led by Sterlite Industries, FMCG and Consumer Durables stocks dragged the NSE Nifty and the BSE Sensex below the 6000 and 20000 levels. Even the Mid-Cap and the Small-Cap stocks were under pressure.

"Market players preferred to stay cautious and book profits ahead of the F&O expiry. In addition, unfavourable breadth was another cause for worry", says Amar Ambani, Vice President, Research – India Private Clients, IIFL.

Finally, the BSE Sensex lost 149 points to close at 19,956. The index hit an intra-day high of 20,234 and an intra-day low of 19,923.

The NSE Nifty slipped 39 points to close at 5,991 after touching a high of 6,072 and a low of 5,980.

Among the BSE sectoral indices, the BSE Metal index was the top loser the index was down 2%, followed by BSE FMCG index (down 1.4%) and BSE Consumer Durables index (down 1.1%). On the other hand, the BSE IT index was up 0.2% and BSE Auto index was up 0.2%.

The broader indices ended lower, the BSE Mid-Cap index ended lower by 0.7% and BSE Small-Cap index slipped by 0.5%.

The European indices were trading lower, the DAX in Germany was down 0.3%, the CAC 40 index in France also was down 0.3% and FTSE index in UK down 0.3%.

Outside the frontline indices, the big losers in the broader market were Opto Circuits, Financial Tech, IOB and Glenmark. On the other hand, gainers included APIL, Godrej Cons, LITL and M&M Fin.