Prices Low On Slack Trading

Lacklustre trading prevailed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, which was the last day of the current settlement. The trading turnover at the exchange dipped to Rs 926.84 crore with only 3.58 crore shares changing hands.

The 50 share NSE index closed at 963.70, a loss of 12.40 points over its previous close of 976.10 points. Nifty opened at 976.10, dipped to a low of 962 and touched a high of 976.10. The Midcap index closed at 1,060.30, a loss of 14.50 points over its previous close of 1,074.80 points.

The trading remained lacklustre and the

institutions kept away from the market. The Aptech scrip hit the lower end of the price band. This apart, HDFC Bank also witnessed a sharp fall on news that Natwest Markets, a strategic alliance partner, is likely to pull out of the HDFC Bank, said a dealer with FII brokerage.

 

Being the last day of the current settlement, operators unwinded their long position, which saw the prices of some key scrips coming down. The ABB continued to fall. It crashed to Rs 347.85, a drop of 6 per cent. The Cochin Refinery scrip came closed at

Rs 152.30, a drop of 5 per cent. The Thermax scrip closed at Rs 151.10, a drop of 4.40 per cent. ITC clocked a trading turnover of Rs 313.50 crore before closing at Rs 587.05.

In the depository segment, 1.52 lakh shares worth Rs 2.37 crore were traded. The most actively traded counter in the demat segment was BoI wherein 23,000 shares worth Rs 8.05 lakh changed hand.

In RIL, 56,500 shares were traded, while in IPCL a trade of 10,000 shares in the demat segment. Nearly 57 securities hit the price band. The Tata Tea counter continued to attract huge volumes and the scrip closed at Rs 406.10. The counter saw a trading turnover of Rs 103.72 crore

Meanwhile, equities witnessed marginal gains on scattered institutional buying at the Over the Counter Exchange of India (OTCEI) yesterday.

The OTCEI composite index opened at 113.83 and after touching a high of 114.14, closed at 114.11, showing a minor rise of 0.28 over the previous close of 113.83.