Markets end in red on F&O expiry, global cues

Mumbai: Market benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended marginally lower on Thursday after a volatile session amid expiry of monthly derivative contracts.

Traders said weak cues from global markets also weighed on investor sentiment here, leading to the indices closing in the red for the second straight day. After swinging 581.83 points during the session, the 30-share BSE Sensex settled 26.88 points, or 0.08 per cent, lower at 34,842.10. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 16.40 points, or 0.16 per cent, to close at 10,288.90.

Asian Paints was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 3.30 per cent, followed by Infosys, HCL Tech, ONGC, M&M, TCS, IndusInd Bank and L&T. On the other hand, ITC, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Finance, HUL and ICICI Bank were among the gainers, spurting up to 5.45 per cent. "Following the F&O expiry, our markets were also volatile and undecided, finally ending with a negative bias for the day.

This was also in sync with generally lacklustre global markets. Cautiousness was visible as the IMF revised their GDP growth outlook for India and the coronavirus infections continued to rise," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. BSE IT, teck, oil and gas, realty, energy and capital goods indices ended up to 1.55 per cent lower, while FMCG, healthcare, bankex and finance settled with gains.