Sensex subdued, down 21 pts

The market remains subdued in mid-morning trades as sluggish trend continues in techs, select heavyweights and other old economy counters. Although pharma and selec auto stocks have registered steady gains, the Sensex remains lacklustre at 6,357 - down 21 points. The Nifty has declined seven points to 1,964.

ONGC has edged lower by a per cent (Rs 9) to Rs 853. While Reliance is down Rs 2 at Rs 544, HLL is trading flat at Rs 134. Over 14.47 lakh Reliance shares have changed hands on the BSE.

Wipro has declined 1.22% (Rs 8) to Rs 643. While Satyam, with a volume of over 25.83 lakh, has shed 1.44% (Rs 6) to Rs 417, Infosys is unchanged with a per cent loss (Rs 17) at Rs 1,971.

ICICI Bank is trading a per cent lower (Rs 4) at Rs 404, and HDFC Bank is down a rupee at Rs 538. SBI, however, is up a per cent (Rs 5) at Rs 629.

ACC is down a per cent (Rs 3) at Rs 374. While Gujarat Ambuja, too, is trading weaker by Rs 2 at Rs 434, Grasim gained Rs 4 to Rs 1,215.

Bajaj at Rs 1,070 (down Rs 5) and Tata Motors (down Rs 2 to Rs 443) are still exhibiting weak trends. Hero Honda and Maruti are trading higher with a per cent gain each at Rs 512 (up Rs 4) and Rs 442 (up Rs 3), respectively.

Ranbaxy and Dr. Reddy's have clocked a per cent gain each to Rs 922 (up Rs 5) and Rs 666 (up Rs 6), respectively. Cipla is up a notch at Rs 244.

Crisil, on reports of S&P holding a majority stake, has soared 9.22% (Rs 65) to Rs 770. While Goetza has surged 6.72% (Rs 12) to Rs 193, Astrazen Pharma has soared 5.83% (Rs 99) to Rs 1,800.

Capital goods stocks have added steady gains. Greaves Cotton has gained 4.49% (Rs 6) to Rs 143, and Esab has logged 4.11% gains (Rs 8) to Rs 204. SKF, Havell, Carbo Univer, Amforge Industries, Alstom Project and HMT are up in a range of 2-4%.