Sensex, Nifty end flat after volatile day; Metal index up 2%, RIL down 1.5%

CLOSING BELL

Stock market highlights: Equity markets swung between gains and losses on Monday as investors awaited outcomes of the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy meeting, and Assembly elections of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, due later this week.

The S&P BSE Sensex oscillated in a range of 432 points before closing at 62,835, down 34 points or 0.05 per cent. The Nifty50, too, shut shop little changed at 18,701, up 5 points or 0.03 per cent, after a volatile trade.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices added 0.10 per cent and 0.25 per cent, respectively.

Among individual stocks, Tata Steel (up 3 per cent), NTPC, SBI, IndusInd Bank, and Power Grid were the top Sensex gainers, while RIL (down 1.45 per cent), Tech M, Dr Reddy's Labs, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, and TCS were the top laggards.

Within the mid- and small-cap space, M&M Financial Services, SJVN, Aditya Nirla Capital, Bajaj Hindustan Sugars, SEPC, Sadbhav Engineering, and Satin Credit Care were the winners. 

Sectorally, the Nifty Metal index gained nearly 2 per cent as easing Covid-19 related restrictions in China boosted hopes of global commodity demand. READ MORE

On the downside, the Nifty IT index slipped 0.7 per cent.