Stocks finished lower on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) today after cautious investors booked profits ahead of next week's monetary policy meet.
The 50-share NSE benchmark Nifty hovered between a high of 6,174.75 and a low of 6,125.95 before ending at 6,144.90, a loss of 19.45 points, or 0.32 per cent, over its last close.
FMCG, healthcare, auto, capital goods, metal and energy stocks suffered losses, while technology scrips gained.
After a quiet start, market mostly traded in a tight range amid nervousness ahead of quarterly reports from a handful of key frontline heavyweights, including ITC and ICICI Bank. It remained choppy throughout the session before ending with modest losses.
With the second quarter monetary policy review of the Reserve Bank (on Oct 29) and F&O expiry falling in the same week, investors appeared to be extremely cautious and not willing to take any long positions, traders said.
Meanwhile, other Asian and emerging markets witnessed a sharp plunge spooked by concerns over a liquidity squeeze in China and fears of rising inflationary pressures.
Hindalco, DLF, NMDC, Cairn, Tata Steel, HUL, Gail, HeroMoto, BHEL and IDFC were the key losers from index pack. Notable gainers included TCS, HCL Tech, Wipro, NTPC, Sesa, Power Grid, Grasim, Infosys, Dr Reddy's and ICICI Bank.
Turnover in the cash segment dropped sharply to Rs 9,820.23 crore from Rs 11,986.11 crore yesterday. A total of 5,249.27 lakh shares changed hands in 54,84,866 trades, while market capitalisation stood at Rs 65,43,365 crore.
