Sensex ends flat as rupee plunges to new low

A benchmark index of Indian equities market closed Monday's trade 0.06 percent or 11.84 points up.

In a day when the rupee registered its biggest fall in almost two years and slumped to below Rs.58 against the dollar for the first time, on escalating worries over current account deficit and firming of the US currency globally, there was heavy selling pressure in consumer durables, banking index, healthcare and metal stocks.

However, IT stocks gained on the hopes of better return from overseas market.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 19,530.35 points, closed at 19,441.07 points, up 11.84 points or 0.06 percent from its previous day's close at 19,429.23 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 19,585.75 points and a low of 19,366.82 points in intra-day trade.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended 0.46 percent or 26.90 points up at 5,907 points.

The S&P BSE consumer durables index plunged 153.48 points, bankex was down by 157.32 points, healthcare index dipped 92.75 points and metal index slid 80.73 points, while IT index increased by 61.86 points.

The prominent Sensex gainers were: Wipro, up 2.12 percent at Rs.342.70; Infosys, up 1.64 percent at Rs.2,487.05; NTPC, up 1.55 percent at Rs.150.30; and HDFC, up 1.53 percent at Rs.852.75.

The prominent Sensex losers were: Jindal Steel, down 4.46 percent at Rs.266.85; BHEL, down 3 percent at Rs.184.10; Maruti Suzuki, down 2.18 percent at Rs.1,521.00; and ICICI Bank, down 2.03 percent at Rs.1,118.30.