Sensex closes 50 points down; oil and gas stocks down

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets ended Monday's trade 50 points or 0.24 percent down, as inflation data dashed any hopes of the apex bank easing on monetary policy.

Good buying was observed in information Technology (IT), healthcare and consumer durables sectors while heavy selling was observed in oil and gas, automobile and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) stocks.

The 30-scrip S&P Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 20,714.26 points, (provisionally) closed at 20,665.44 points, down 50.14 points or 0.24 percent from its previous day's close at 20,715.58 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 20,764.52 points and a low of 20,637.77 points intra-day.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed trade 14.50 points (provisionally) or 0.24 percent up at 6,153.90 points.

India's headline inflation based on wholesale prices rose to 7.52 percent in November due to high fuel and food prices, government data showed Monday.

The country's main inflation measure based on the wholesale price index (WPI) was at seven percent in the previous month and 7.24 percent in the corresponding month of last year, according to data released by the ministry of commerce and industry here Monday.

Food prices jumped by 19.93 percent year-on-year during the month under review. They increased by 18.19 percent in October.

The country's retail inflation measured in the consumer price index (CPI) for November rose to 11.24 percent as compared to 10.17 percent in the previous month, data released Thursday showed.

India's retail inflation rose on the back of high food prices. The prices of vegetables were up by 61.60 percent, fruit prices were up 15 percent, cereals and products went up by 12.07 percent and egg, fish and meat rose by 11.96 percent.

The country's industrial output contracted by 1.8 percent during October -- from a year-on-year growth of 8.4 percent in the corresponding month of last year -- due to poor performance of the mining and manufacturing sectors.

In Monday's trade, the S&P BSE oil and gas index was down 136.56 points followed by automobile index which lost 87.54 points and FMCG index moved down by 27 points.

However, IT index climbed up by 133.85 points, healthcare index was 103.61 points and consumer durables index which gained by 68.91 points.