Sensex closes 76 points lower

A benchmark index Thursday provisionally closed 76 points lower, as traders took a breather after the previous day’s rally and booked profits in key scrips.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 18,163.05 points, closed at 18,126.03 points (provisional), 76.38 points or 0.42 percent down from its previous close at 18,202.41 points.

The Sensex managed to stay above the 18,000-mark, which it breached Wednesday for the first time in six months.

The 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange closed lower at 5,493.4 points, down 38.55 points or 0.7 percent from its previous close.

Broader markets also closed flat, with the BSE 500 index ending almost unchanged. But the BSE midcap index rose 0.89 percent while the BSE smallcap index gained 0.8 percent.

As per the sectoral indices on the BSE, power, realty and capital goods stocks were on the rise.