NEW DELHI: After making an impressive start, domestic equity indices once again lost momentum on Friday ahead of a long weekend. Lack of solid triggers coupled with festive mood dragged the market after strong advances in opening deals.

The S&P BSE Sensex settled flat at 31,284, just 1 points up, with Bajaj Auto (up 2 per cent) being the top gainer and Hindustan Lever (down 2 per cent) the biggest loser on the index. The 30-share pack witnessed a 280-point swing during the day. Heavyweights HDFC Bank, Maruti and L&T help the index settle in the green.

The broader Nifty50 index of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) slipped below the 9,800 level to close at 9,789, up nearly 20 points with 31 components ending in the green and 31 in the red.

Let’s have a look at the top newsmakers of Dalal Street on Friday:

Porinju's Midas touch
Shares of LEEL Electricals surged over 7 per cent after ace investor Porinju Veliyath-led portfolio management company Equity Intelligence increased stake in the company to 5.36 per cent. Equity Intelligence on September 28 purchased additional 1,61,950 shares, or 0.40 per cent stake in LEEL Electricals. The stock closed at Rs 288 apiece, up nearly 6 per cent on BSE.



Reliance Home Fin hits lower circuit
Shares of Reliance Home Finance hit lower circuit for the third session in a row. The stock was listed on bourses exactly a week back, after demerging from Reliance Capital. The stock, however, recovered later in the day and ended 1.63 per cent higher at Rs 100 apiece.



Spurt in open interest
Shares of Indiabulls Real Estate witnessed the biggest spike in open interest contracts at 49.86 per cent, followed by those of GAIL (44 per cent) and TVs Motors (32.41 per cent).



Oiling gains
GAIL surged 7 per cent after Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) proposed a unified pipeline tariff. Commenting on the development, GAIL Director, Gajendra Singh told ETNow: "We have to see that this is a very positive move from the government side because that is going to be for future point of view for the equitable growth." The stock settled at Rs 419 apiece, up nearly 6 per cent.



Sectoral movers
Realty stocks advanced the most , pushing Nifty Realty Index 2.65 per cent higher to 273.50 with all the 10 constituents settling in the green. Indiabulls Real Estate (up 7 per cent), Unitech (up 5 per cent)and Brigade Enterprises (up 4 per cent) were the major contributors to the index surge.



Stocks @52-week high
As many as 20 stock hit 52-week highs. Some of the prominent names included Ashok Leyland (up 5.61 per cent), Bombay Burmah (up 8 per cent) and LCC Infotech (up 12.50 per cent). On the contrary, as many as 30 stocks took a heavy beating and plunged to their fresh 52-week low on Friday.



Most active stocks
JP Associates (up 8 per cent), Suzlon Energy (up 1 per cent) and Tourism Finance (down 2 per cent) emerged as the most active stocks in terms of volume while GAIL (up 5.75 per cent), RIL (down 1 per cent) and Axis Bank (down 0.52 per cent) were the most active stock in terms of traded value during the session.