Sensex closes flat; auto stocks gain

Mumbai  :  A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Friday closed flat, a day after it rallied 385 points on the back of the government announcement that banks will provide cheap loans for purchase of consumer durables.

The 30-scrip S&P Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 19,870 points, closed (provisionally) at 19,920.75 points, up 18.68 points or 0.09 percent from Thursday’s close at 19,902.07 points.

The Sensex saw a high of 20,052 points and a low of 19,833.17 points in the day’s trade.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also made marginal gains. The index increased merely by 0.85 points or 0.01 percent at 5,908.85 points.

Sector-wise, automobile, metal, oil and gas, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and realty companies scrip gained.

However, capital goods, banks, power, information technology (IT), technology, entertainment and media (TECk) stocks declined.

The S&P BSE automobile index gained 116.39 points, metal index was up 54.32 points, followed by oil and gas index which was higher by 32.80 points, FMCG index rose 24.48 points and reality index increased by 19.98 points.

Heavy selling pressure was observed in capital goods down 37.98 points, bank index ws down 30.37 points, power index was lower by 8.01 mpoints, followed by the IT index which declined by 3.67 points and TECk index which was 2.09 points down.

Photo  : AFP