Markets remain sluggish

After touching the day's low the Sensex makes a return to the positive zone and is at 18,137 up 22 points while the Nifty continues to be flat at 5441. The Smallcap index is up 0.5% and continues to outperform the benchmark index and the midcap index.

Meanwhile the Asian markets are in the red, with Nikkei down more than 2% at 9,492 and Hang Seng flat at 21,455.

Among the BSE sectoral indices, IT continues its good run. Consumer Durables has added 1.4%. Among the major movers in this space, Havells India has gained 4% at Rs 713 and is inching towards its weekly and one-month high of RS 716. The other notable gainers are Crompton Greaves, up 3.2% at Rs 238 and Thermax, up 2.6% at Rs 766.

In the largecap space, TCS leads the Sensex gainers list, up 3% at Rs 858. Infosys gained 2.3% at Rs 2849 and Bhel added 2.1% at Rs 2517.

The top losers on the Sensex are Bharti Airtel and ACC, which are down 1.5% each at Rs 323 and Rs 817 respectively. HDFC Bank and ITC are the other major losers.

The market breadth remains marginally positive, with 1469 stocks advancing and 1213 declining.