Markets off highs; healthcare, oil & gas indices in red

After a firm opening the markets fell from its high levels on back of selling pressure visible in healthcare, oil & gas, IT and teck stocks. The markets were trading on a flat note.

The S&P CNX Nifty was higher by 6 points at 5527 and the Sensex was at 18,464 higher by 25 points.

Maruti Suzuki was the top gainer among the Sensex stocks, the stock was trading at Rs 1279 higher by nearly 2%. Bajaj Auto, DLF, Hindalco, Reliance Communication, Mahindra & Mahindra, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank were also among the gainers, up 0.5-1.4% each. Meanwhile, Cipla, Sterlite Induustries, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Wipro, HDFC, Jindal Steel, Reliance Industries and State Bank of India were among the losing stocks.

BSE Consumer Durable index was the top sectoral gainer, the index was higher by 66 points or 1.1% at 5807. Realty index added 0.8% or 16 points at 2087. Auto, banking, PSU, FMCG, capital goods, metal and power stocks also witnessed some mild buying. On the other hand BSE Healthcare index was the top loser, the index shed 18 points to 5854. Oil & Gas, IT and Teck indices were also in the red.

Whirlpool was the top gainer among the consumer durable stocks, up 4% to Rs 238, followed by VIP Industries, Blue Star, Titan Industries, Gitanjali Gems and Videocon Industries. Among the realty stocks, DLF was the top gainer followed by Orbit Corp, Anant Raj Industries, Mahindra Lifespace, D B Realty and Indiabulls Real Estate.

IPCA Labs, Aurobindo Pharma, GSK Pharma, Apollo Hospitals, Biocon and Orchid Chemicals were the top losers among the healthcare stocks.

The broader markets outperformed the benchmark indices, the BSE mid-cap index was higher by 41 points at 6652 and thesmall-cap index was at 8015 higher by 70 points.

The overall market breadth was positive as 1495 stocks advanced while 659 stocks declined.