Sensex ends in red…Volumes taper off

The Indian market ended with modest losses on Tuesday at the end of a lackluster trading session and thin volumes. Today’s slight decline was seen on the back of low level of participation, as most players chose to lock in some gains after last week’s advance. The total combined turnover stood at a paltry Rs. 70,000 crore.

Within the Sensex and Nifty the top gainers were M&M, SBI, Maruti Suzukiand Sterlite, while BHEL, RIL, Hindalco and ITC were among the top losers.



The shares of Mahindra Forgings, Torrent Pharma, Man Infra, Compact Disk andMastek witnessed a spurt in trading volumes.

Meanwhile the shares of Amara Raja, HDFC and Trent touched new highs.

Markets opened in the red as most Asian markets were subdued due to lack of cues from Wall Street. US markets were shut on Monday for Independence Day. The European stock indices opened in the red before turning flat to mixed.

Markets remained in the negative terrain throughout the day. The index heavyweights like BHEL, Cairn India, Reliance Industries and Hindalco were among the major laggards. Ranbaxy, M&M and Reliance Capital were among the top gainers.

Among the BSE Sectoral indices, the BSE Oil & Gas index was the top loser, down 1.7%. The BSE Power index was down 1.4% and the BSE Realty index declined 1.3%. On the other hand, the BSE Auto index gained 0.9% and the BSE Banking index added 0.41%.

"After a strong rally some sort of a pullback and consolidation is a given. So, Friday’s and today’s fall should not surprise anyone. Overall, the undercurrent has improved mainly on the back of a revival in FII inflows and resolution of the Greek debt crisis. For the Indian markets, the immediate trigger will come from India Inc.’s report card for the April to March quarter. The advance from here on may not be smooth and therefore one must remain vigilant, says Amar Ambani, Head of Research, IIFL - India Private Clients.

The BSE Sensex ended at 18,744 losing 70 points. It had earlier touched a day's high of 18,838 and a day's low of 18,694. It opened at 18,837. The NSE Nifty closed at 5,632 losing 18 points.

Outside the index, the major losers were UCO Bank, Nestle India, Sun TV, GVK Power and Syndicate Bank. Among the major gainers were BF Utilities, MOIL, Castrol and Ispat Ind.