Indian equities provisionally close flat on short covering

Short covering and value buying marginally lifted the Indian equity markets on Monday.

The key domestic indices provisionally closed on a flat-to-positive note, with healthy buying witnessed in oil and gas, metal and FMCG stocks.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) edged up by 12.60 points or 0.16 per cent to 8,126.90 points.

The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 26,303.52 points, provisionally closed at 26,350.17 points (at 3.30 p.m.) -- up 33.83 points or 0.13 per cent from the previous close at 26,316.34 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 26,413.99 points and a low of 26,183.22 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was skewed in favour of the bulls -- with 1,660 advances and 931 declines.

On Friday, the equity markets closed in the green on the back of short covering, along with value-buying and rupee appreciation.

The barometer index was up 456.17 points or 1.76 per cent, while the NSE Nifty gained 148.80 points or 1.87 per cent.

--IANS

ppg/vt