Sensex, Nifty edge down; RIL tumbles nearly 2%

Mumbai: Equity benchmarks indices Sensex and Nifty ended marginally down on Thursday due to losses in Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance and Maruti as investors remained cautious amid surging Omicron cases.

The 30-share index ended 12.17 points or 0.02 per cent lower at 57,794.32. Similarly, the broader Nifty fell 9.65 points or 0.06 per cent to 17,203.95.

Reliance Industries was the top loser in the Sensex pack, falling nearly 2 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, Maruti, Bajaj Finance, Sun Pharma and SBI.

On the other hand, NTPC, HCL Tech, IndusInd Bank, Titan, Wipro and Dr Reddy's were among the gainers.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai and Hong Kong ended with gains, while Seoul and Tokyo were in the red.

Stock exchanges in Europe were trading on a mixed note in mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.68 per cent to USD 78.69 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 975.23 crore on Wednesday, according to stock exchange data.