Sensex closes flat, metal and FMCG stocks fall

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 19,782.59 points, closed at 19,784.08 points, up 19.30 points or 0.10 percent from its previous close at 19,764.78 points.

The subdued sentiment followed bullish buying in the last two days after US lawmakers cleared the "fiscal cliff" deal and other mellow Asian bourses.

The BSE Sensex Friday touched an intra-day high of 19,797.44 points and a low of 19,679.99 points. The BSE midcap index was up 20.27 points, while the smallcap index was higher by 26.19 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also closed the day's trade flat -- up 6.65 points or 0.11 percent at 6,016.15 points.

In the Sensex sectoral indices, oil and gas index gained 92.41 points, public sector undertaking (PSU) index 76.45 points, and the information technology (IT) index 54.55 points.

However, the metal index fell 115.35 points, while the automobile index closed lower by 30.14 points and FMCG index was down 16.81 points.

The major Sensex gainers were Gail India, up 1.90 percent higher at Rs.370.55; ONGC, up 1.79 percent at Rs.284.75; BHEL, up 1.76 percent at Rs.242.20; Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), up 1.50 percent at Rs.1,297.50; and Wipro, up 1.47 percent at Rs.403.25.

Thirteen of the 30 Sensex scrips closed in the red.

Among the main losers were: Tata Steel, down 1.91 percent at Rs.433.40; Sterlite Inds, down 1.64 percent at Rs.119.95; Jindal Steel, down 1.58 percent at Rs.458.00; Hindalco Inds, down 1.34 percent at Rs.132.60 and Tata Motors, down 0.79 percent at Rs.315.30.

Among other Asian markets, Singapore's Straits Times Index was up 0.01 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.29 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index closed higher by 0.35 percent.

The European markets were all in the red. Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.05 percent while the German DAX was trading lower by 0.19 percent. The French CAC 40 was down 0.44 percent.