Sensex trades flat as RBI keeps key lending rates unchanged

Mumbai  : A benchmark index for Indian equities markets was trading flat in the afternoon session Tuesday, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept all key lending rates and reserve ratios unchanged in its mid-quarter review of the monetary policy.

Good buying was seen in metals, capital goods, consumer goods, auto and healthcare stocks, while bank, oil and gas, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and information technology (IT) stocks declined.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 19,293.01 points, was ruling at 19,252.26 points around 12.20 p.m., up by 7.84 points or 0.04 percent from its previous close at 19,244.42 points.

The apex bank kept the bank lending rate unchanged at nine percent, the repurchase (repo) rate at eight percent, reverse repo rate at seven percent, the cash reserve ratio at 4.25 percent and statutory liquidity ratio at 23 percent.

The BSE Sensex touched a high of 19,330.60 points and low of 19,149.03 points intra-day. The BSE midcap index was down 1.73 points, while the smallcap index edged higher by 14.57 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was down 1.25 points or 0.02 percent at 5,856.65 points.

The BSE metals index was up 147.10 points. The capital goods index was trading higher by 107.96 points, consumer durables index up 78.67 points, auto index up 70.94 points followed by healthcare index, up 48.15 points.

However, the bank index was down by 99.84 points, the oil and gas index was lower by 42.76 points, FMCG index, down 25.33 points and the IT index decreased by 22.42 points.

Among other Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.96 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was lower by 0.18 percent. China’s Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.29 percent.

Photo  : AFP