Sensex, Nifty end marginally lower

MUMBAI: Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended marginally lower on Tuesday following losses in index majors HDFC twins, Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank amid a weak trend in Asian markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex slipped 52.94 points or 0.10 per cent to 52,275.57. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty declined 11.55 points or 0.07 per cent to 15,740.10.

SBI was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by HDFC duo, Kotak Bank, PowerGrid and ICICI Bank.

On the other hand, Tech Mahindra, Bharti Airtel, Infosys and HCL Tech were among the gainers.

Equity benchmarks ended almost flat in a choppy trading day with mixed reactions seen across the counters, said Binod Modi, Head - Strategy at Reliance Securities.

While financials and metals witnessed selling pressure, IT, FMCG and pharma supported the market.

Midcap and smallcap indices, on the other hand, continued to outperform the benchmarks as improved prospects of earnings recovery continues to attract investors towards this space, he added.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Hong Kong ended in the red.

Stocks exchanges in Europe were trading with gains in mid-session deals.

International oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.53 per cent lower at USD 71.11 per barrel.