Markets end marginally lower in choppy trade

Mumbai: Domestic equity benchmark BSE Sensex ended marginally lower after a see-saw session on Thursday as lack of buying triggers kept trading sentiment at a low ebb.

A depreciating rupee and weak global cues also weighed on the markets, traders said.

After plunging over 300 points intra-day, the BSE gauge pared most losses to settle 15.45 points, or 0.04 per cent, lower at 39,741.36. However, the broader NSE Nifty inched up 7.85 points, or 0.07 per cent, to close at 11,914.05.

Yes Bank was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack for the second consecutive session, plummeting 12.96 per cent, after Moody's placed the private sector lender's ratings under review for a possible downgrade.

IndusInd Bank, Infosys, Maruti, Vedanta, Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors, ONGC and RIL too fell up to 4.96 per cent.

Top gainers included PowerGrid, M&M, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Finance, Bharti Airtel and HDFC twins, rising up to 1.54 per cent.

According to experts, market mood was subdued amid rising uncertainty over trade talks between the US and China.

Oil prices soared following conflicting reports of attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.