Stock Market: Sensex Sheds 87 Points, Nifty Holds 18,300 Amid Mixed Trends. Auto Stocks Skid 1.2%

Stock update: Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti, Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, ITC, and UltraTech Cement were among the losers on the Sensex platform

Sensex and Nifty, the two key equity benchmarks, on Friday ended in the red after recouping losses for the second straight session, paring their initial gains amid a mixed trend in the global equities.

The BSE Sensex declined 87 points (0.14 per cent) to finish at 61,663. During the day, it fell 413 points (0.66 per cent) to 61,337. On the flip side, the broader NSE Nifty dipped 36.25 points (0.20 per cent) to end at 18,307.

From the 30-share Sensex pack, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti, Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, ITC, and UltraTech Cement were among the losers. On the flip side, Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, HCL Technologies, State Bank of India, and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the winners.

In the broader market, BSE Midcap and Smallcap were down nearly 0.5 per cent each.

The breadth too was fairly negative, with 2,048 declining stocks against 1,455 advancing shares on the BSE.

The BSE Auto index slipped 1.2 per cent and was the major sectoral loser. The Capital Goods, Oil & Gas and Energy indices were the other prominent losers.

In the previous session on Thursday, the Sensex declined 230 points (0.37 per cent) to settle at 61,751. During the day, it fell 337 points (0.54 per cent) to 61,643. The broader NSE Nifty, on the other hand, dived 66 points (0.36 per cent) to end at 18,344.

Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong ended lower, while Seoul settled in the green. Equity exchanges in Europe were trading in the positive territory in the afternoon session. Wall Street had ended lower on Thursday.

International oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.40 per cent higher at $90.09 per barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned buyers as they bought shares worth a net Rs 618.37 crore on Thursday, as per exchange data.

Meanwhile, the rupee depreciated 6 paise to close at 81.70 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday amid a lacklustre trend in domestic equities and firming crude oil prices.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened up at 81.59 and later erased all its early gains. During the session, it witnessed a high of 81.52 and a low of 81.78. The domestic unit finally settled at 81.70 against the American currency, registering a fall of 6 paise over its previous close of 81.64.