Sensex ends lower, but up for fifth straight month

REUTERS - Indian shares ended lower on Friday, after investors booked profit in banks and financials with ICICI Bank the biggest drag on the NSE Nifty ahead of its June-quarter earnings later in the day.

The NSE Nifty notched up a 4.23 percent gain in July, the highest in four months, while the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 3.9 percent. Both indexes are up for the fifth straight month.

The Nifty closed 0.32 percent down at 8,638.50 points while the BSE ended 0.56 percent down at 28,051.86 points.

(Reporting by Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)