The Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty ended Thursday's choppy session on a flat note. Nifty ended flat at 13,982 after crossing 14,000 Intra-day for the first time ever, while Sensex closed 5 points higher at a record closing high of 47,751.
Gains in metals, pharma, realty and auto stocks were countered by selling pressure in FMCG, PSU Banks and financial stocks. Broader markets outperformed with Nifty Smallcap100 and Nifty Midcap100 ending 0.13 percent and 0.38 percent higher, respectively.
HDFC was the leading gainer among Sensex stocks on Thursday, rising by 1.65 percent, followed by Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, Titan and Infosys.
TCS was the biggest loser, shedding 1.33 percent. Ultratech Cement, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Bank and Tech Mahindra were among the other major laggards.
Bourses in Tokyo and South Korea were, meanwhile, closed for the New Year’s holidays. Among others, Australia’s S&P/ASX fell 1.4 percent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose by 0.3 percent.
The Shanghai Composite gained 1.2 percent. Analysts said the focus has been on vaccine-related developments around the globe, with China’s Sinopharm becoming the latest to release encouraging study results.
First Published: IST