Sensex, Nifty end in the red; Yes Bank, Dr Reddy’s Lab, SBI major gainers

Image courtesy: Reuters

Mumbai: After witnessing a two-day rally, benchmark indices on Thursday (February 13) closed in the red. The Sensex was down 106.11 points at 41,459.79, while the broader Nifty ended 26.50 points down at 12,174.70. Major gainers on the Nifty were Yes Bank, Dr Reddy’s Lab, SBI and Titan Company, while IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, NTPC, Tata Steel and Kotak Mahindra Bank remained top losers. 

As many as 1044 shares advanced, 1400 shares declined, while 159 shares remain unchanged. The sectors including IT, pharma, FMCG and PSU bank ended higher, while metal, auto, infra and energy ended lower. 

A day after the government released data on inflation and factory output, which quashed hopes for an immediate cut in key interest rates, equity benchmark gauges were on a weak ground during early hours on Thursday.

At 10:15 am, the BSE S&P Sensex edged lower by 108 points or 0.2 per cent to 41,458 while the Nifty 50 was down by 37 points at 12,164. Sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were mixed with Nifty private bank down by 0.8 per cent. Among stocks, Kotak Mahindra Bank slipped by 1.6 per cent at Rs 1,687 per share while IndusInd Bank was down by 1.2 per cent and Axis Bank by 1.1 per cent.

Other prominent losers were Adani Ports, HCL Technologies, Maruti, Cipla, and power utility major NTPC.

Meanwhile, Asian stock markets wobbled as the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths in the outbreak`s epicentre jumped.

MSCI`s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan was steady while Japan`s Nikkei was flat. The Shanghai Composite and Hong Kong`s Hang Seng wavered either side of unchanged.

China`s Hubei province, where the virus is believed to have originated, reported 242 new deaths -- double the previous day`s toll -- and confirmed 14,840 new cases a day earlier as officials adopted a new methodology for counting infections.

(With Agency Inputs)