MUMBAI, Dec 15: Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended marginally lower on Monday, paring early losses amid persistent foreign fund outflows and weak global cues.
The 30-share BSE Sensex closed down 54.30 points (0.06%) at 85,213.36, after hitting an intraday low of 84,840.32. The 50-share NSE Nifty slipped 19.65 points (0.08%) to 26,027.30, recovering from a low of 25,904.75.
Market sentiment was weighed down by the rupee hitting an all-time low of 90.80 against the US dollar and uncertainty over an India-US trade deal.
Among Sensex stocks, Mahindra & Mahindra fell 1.94%, Bajaj Finserv 0.79%, and Maruti Suzuki 0.71%, while Hindustan Unilever gained 1.42%, alongside Trent, HCL Tech, and Asian Paints.
Sectoral trends showed gains in FMCG, services, industrials, consumer durables, and IT, whereas telecom, auto, consumer discretionary, and financial services declined. Smallcap and midcap indices rose 0.41% and 0.16%, respectively.
Data showed wholesale price inflation stayed in negative territory at -0.32% in November, despite a rise in food prices.
Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore, while domestic investors bought Rs 3,868.94 crore. Asian markets ended lower, European markets traded higher, and Brent crude rose 0.15% to USD 61.21 per barrel. (PTI)
