Geo-political tensions, coupled with caution over upcoming macro-data and quarterly results, pushed down Indian equity markets during the mid-afternoon trade session on Wednesday.
This led to a barometer index of the Indian equity markets trading in the red -- down 92 points.
Initially, both the bellwether indices opened on a flat-to-negative range in the wake of two days of consecutive falls, disappointing domestic macro-data and global uncertainties.
Nevertheless, both the indices soon pared their losses on the back of short-covering, value-buying and positive Asian markets' close.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's comments on Tuesday regarding further reforms in the infrastructure sector also buoyed sentiments.
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However, the bellwether indices soon receded and were trading in the red due to caution over upcoming US based macro-data and rising geo-political tensions in the far east following North Korea's testing of a thermo-nuclear device.
Besides, investors were seen cautious regarding the upcoming domestic macro-data on industrial output, retail inflation and the third-quarter earning results which start coming in from January 12.
The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) shed 92 points, or 0.36 percent.
The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was trading flat. It was marginally down 1.50 points, or 0.02 percent, at 7,783.15 points.
The Sensex of the S&P BSE, which opened at 25,628.23 points, was trading at 25,487.97 points (1.55 p.m.) -- down 92.37 points, or 0.36 percent from the previous day's close at 25,580.34 points.
The Sensex has so far touched a high of 25,632.57 points and a low of 25,486.65 points in intra-day trade.
The Sensex closed the previous session on January 5 down 43 points, or 0.17 percent, while the Nifty was lower by 7 points, or 0.09 percent.
Nonetheless, the S&P BSE market breadth slightly favoured the bulls -- with 1,614 advances and 1,165 declines.
