Nifty ends modestly lower on profit-booking, down 13 points

The market witnessed fluctuating momentum amid volatility, snapping its three days of gain on profit-booking in key counters such as metals, FMCG, pharma and bank, leading to end modestly lower by 13.40 points to 8,261.65 at the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Earlier, the market opened on a negative terrain amidst caution after global rating agency S&P yesterday ruled out the possibility of upgrading India's sovereign rating in the current fiscal as well as the next financial year.
Market took to buying during mid-session and managed to recover most of the losses, but once again succumbed to heavy profit-booking from late afternoon to end in red.

However, in today's session, the secondline shares of mid-cap and small-cap outperformed the benchmark indices.
The 50-shares broader index opened lower at 8,280.30 and hovered between a high of 8,294.05 and 8,229.20 before closing at 8,261.65, showing a loss of 13.40 point or 0.16 per cent.
Elsewhere, most of the Asian stocks ended higher, while European market reversed its positive opening and traded lower on data showing China's economy growing at its slowest pace.

Stockwise, the major losers were VEDL (6.38 per cent), Cairn (3.88 per cent), Tata Steel (3.06 per cent), Hindalco (2.65 per cent), Adani Port (2.47 per cent), M&M (2.39 per cent) and Cipla (2.16 per cent).

Notable gainers were Tata Power (2.09 per cent), followed by Bosch (2.04 per cent), PowerGrid (1.57 per cent), TCS (1.53 per cent) and Infosys (1.26 per cent).
Turnover in the cash segment jumped to Rs 17,881.18 crore from Rs 15,160.13 crore yesterday. A total of 10,379.63 lakh shares changed hands in 74,16,809 trades and the market capitalisation of NSE stood at Rs 98,62,957 crore.