The stock markets reversed their record run on Wednesday, with the BSE Sensex falling nearly 100 points and the NSE Nifty slipping below 10,500. The sudden reverse in gains came in the final hour of trading on Wednesday, a day after the 30-scrip BSE benchmark index closed above the 34,000 mark for the first time while the Nifty settled above 10,500. The Sensex closed at 33,911.81 with a loss of 98.80 points or 0.29 per cent while the Nifty50 ended at 10,490.75, down 40.75 points or 0.39 per cent.
Bharti Airtel (1.62 per cent down), ICICI Bank (1.53 per cent down), State Bank of India (0.85 per cent down), Bajaj Auto (0.82 per cent down), and Tata Consultancy Services (0.82 per cent down) were the top losers in the Sensex pack.
On the other hand, Sun Pharma (6.89 per cent up), Dr Reddy's Laboratories (1.71 per cent up), Mahindra and Mahindra (0.77 per cent up), Wipro (0.69 per cent up), and Hindustan Unilever (0.19 per cent up) were the top gainers in the Sensex pack.
In the sectoral landscape, the BSE Healthcare index was the only gainer. "On the sectoral front, barring healthcare, all the other sectoral indices ended the session on a weak note. Amongst the global markets, the Asian indices exhibited mixed trend, while European markets are trading flat to marginally higher," said Jayant Manglik, President, Retail Distribution, Religare Securities Ltd.
With the benchmark indices logging new record highs in the past few sessions and derivatives expiry due on December 28, some consolidation is expected in the near term, say analysts.
"With lack of any fresh positive triggers on the domestic bourses, we expect markets to consolidate in the near term. Markets would take cues from global developments and crude price movements in the near term. We advise traders to remain cautious and be selective in stock picking, while investors can accumulate quality stocks on dips," added Mr Manglik.
Stock markets have hit record highs this month after victories in key state elections by the BJP boosted investor sentiment, raising hopes of a continuation in the government's reform agenda. Trading is, however, likely to remain subdued as the year draws to a close.
Third-quarter earnings of India Inc and the Union Budget will be key factors to watch out for over the next couple of months, according to analysts. Kicking off the Q3 earnings season, Infosys, India's second largest software services firm, will announce its earnings for the October-December quarter on January 12, 2018.
In the sectoral landscape, the BSE Healthcare index was the only gainer.
