No echo of decision in markets

Stock markets seem unfazed by the government's decision to put on hold divestment in state-owned companies.

Though shares of public sector companies fell, this was in line with the market trend today.

In fact, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, in which the government was earlier contemplating a 10 per cent stake sale, ended flat at Rs 61.30, with 9.9 lakh shares changing hands on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Similarly, the National Aluminium Company, the public sector aluminium major for which a stake sale was planned earlier, shed 0.8 per cent to end at Rs 219.90.

A weakness in global markets pulled down key indices at home today, after a smart recovery on Wednesday.

The 30-share BSE Sensex lost 151.67 points, or 1.3 per cent, to end at 10,768. It had plunged by as much as 217 points to a low of 10,703 during intra-day trade.