Markets settle choppy session higher, Nifty ends tad below 8,400

In a volatile trading session, the benchmark indices on Monday settled higher as bargain hunting lifted recently-hit stocks, though sentiment remained cautious ahead of the Union Budget 2017 next week on February 01.

The S&P BSE Sensex managed to hold above 27,000, while the broader Nifty50 faced resistance at 8,400-mark. 

The Sensex ended at 27,117, up 83 points, while the Nifty quoted 8,391, up 42 points at close.

In the broader market, BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap outperformed the headline indices by rising 0.5% each. 

The market breadth remained strong with 1,606 advances over 1,117 declines. 190 shares remained unchanged.