Equity benchmarks traded mixed during mid-day trading on Thursday, with the Sensex slightly down and Nifty managing marginal gains, as the initial morning momentum waned. The 30-share BSE Sensex traded at 78,467.90, down 4.97 points or 0.01 per cent, while the broader NSE Nifty50 was at 23,744.95, up 17.30 points or 0.07 per cent around 12.31 PM.
Market breadth remained negative, with 2,316 stocks declining compared to 1,535 advances on the NSE. The exchange recorded 142 stocks hitting 52-week highs, while 66 touched their 52-week lows. Circuit filters were triggered for 495 stocks, with 223 hitting the upper circuit and 272 touching the lower circuit.
Key sectoral indices showed weakness, with Nifty Bank declining 136.15 points or 0.27 per cent to 51,096.85, and Nifty Financial Services dropping 37.30 points or 0.16 per cent to 23,700.30. The Nifty Next 50 and Nifty Midcap Select indices also traded lower, falling 0.12 per cent and 0.55 per cent respectively.
Among individual stocks, Maruti emerged as the top gainer on the Nifty, rising 1.88 per cent, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra at 1.67 per cent. Adani Ports continued its upward momentum, gaining 1.47 per cent, while SBI Life and Coal India added 1.22 per cent and 1.04 per cent respectively.
On the downside, Asian Paints led the losses, declining 0.69 per cent, followed by Grasim Industries at 0.66 per cent. Tata Consumer Products dropped 0.54 per cent, while Axis Bank and JSW Steel fell 0.49 per cent and 0.48 per cent respectively.
The market’s mixed performance comes after a strong opening, where both benchmarks had started the day in positive territory, with Sensex opening at 78,557.28 and Nifty at 23,775.80. The early optimism was driven by positive global cues and expectations of a year-end rally, but traders seemed to turn cautious as the session progressed.
The total number of stocks traded stood at 3,984, with 133 remaining unchanged, indicating active market participation despite the subdued price action. Market participants continued to monitor technical levels and remained watchful ahead of the December F&O expiry.
