Sensex closes 45 points down, realty, oil and gas stocks fall

Amid choppy trade, a benchmark index of Indian equities markets Monday closed 45 points lower.

Realty, oil and gas and banking scrips were the worst hit on continuing trade and global economic woes. Government data showed India’s exports slumped 14.8 percent to $22.44 billion in July as compared to $26.34 billion recorded during the corresponding month in 2011 due to lower demands in North America and Europe.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 17,465.60 points, closed at 17,384.40 points, 0.26 percent or 45.16 points down from its previous day’s close at 17,429.56 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 17,509.99 points and a low of 17,349.57 points in intra-day trade.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also closed 0.09 percent down at 5,253.75 points.

The main Sensex losers included Jindal Steel, down 2.23 percent at Rs.344.45; Tata Power, down 1.91 percent at Rs.97.70; Tata Motors, down 1.24 percent at Rs.230.85; Tata Steel, down 1.23 percent at Rs.358.05; and ONGC, down 1.20 percent at Rs.272.85.

The gainers were Bajaj Auto, up 3.04 percent at Rs.1,664.45; Coal India, up 2.18 percent at Rs.360.45; Cipla, up 1.79 percent at Rs.384.90; Maruti Suzuki, up 1.79 percent at Rs.1,158.95; and BHEL, up 0.98 percent at Rs.216.45.

Other Asian markets closed mixed. Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.63 percent down while Shanghai’s composite index ended 0.57 percent higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed 0.39 percent up.

At closing bell here, European markets were trading higher. France’s CAC was up 0.57 percent and so was Germany’s DAX, up by 0.42 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.65 percent.