Equity indices close with marginal gains; durables stocks soar

After trading on a volatile note for most of the day, key Indian equity indices closed on a flat-to-positive note -- marginally in the green -- on Thursday.

An upward rally in the S&P BSE consumer durables index, coupled with healthy buying in index heavyweights like Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Tata Steel and Reliance Industries, helped the key indices to trim their losses.

The wider Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) provisionally closed (at 3.30 p.m.) higher by 5.80 points, or 0.06 per cent, at 10,308.95 points.

The 30-scrip S&P BSE Sensex, which opened at 33,376.62 points, closed at 33,250.93 points -- down 32.12 points or 0.10 per cent -- from Wednesday's close.

The Sensex touched a high of 33,463.80 points and a low of 33,111.54 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was bullish -- 1,494 advances and 1,217 declines.

On Wednesday, the benchmark indices closed in the red on the back of heavy selling pressure in metals, automobile and banking stocks, coupled with negative global cues and outflow of foreign funds.

The NSE Nifty50 fell by 47 points or 0.45 per cent to close the day's trade at 10,303.15 points while the BSE Sensex closed at 33,218,81 points -- down 151.95 points or 0.46 per cent.

--IANS

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