Closing Bell: A tussle between bears and bulls witnessed on Dalal Street today

On Wednesday the Indian indices swing like a pendulum between gains and losses due to the uncertain global scenario.

On Wednesday the Indian indices swing like a pendulum between gains and losses due to the uncertain global scenario. Among the other sectors most finished in the red with PSU bank, metals, and media being the major losers. The broader indices ended mixed wherein midcap traded under pressure while smallcap closed higher by 0.9 per cent. In addition, the scheduled weekly expiry would further add to the decline. 

Sensex closed with a slight loss of 145 points, or down by 0.25 per cent, and closed of 57,996.68. The Sensex MidCap index fell by 8 points and ended the day at 24,017.28 levels. On the contrary, the BSE SmallCap gained 117 points and stood at 28,161.47 at day end. The Nifty 50 index also slipped by 30 points and closed at 17,322 levels. The Bank Nifty has also dropped by 310 points and ended at 37,859.90. The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, slipped by 0.097 per cent i.e. by 0.020 points to 20.59 levels. 

The top gainers on the BSE Sensex exchange were Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Dr Reddy Laboratories. On the other hand, the top losers on the BSE Sensex exchange were NTPC, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and UltraTech Cement. 

The total stocks traded today were 3,453 out of which 2,028 advanced and 1,325 stocks declined, 100 stocks were unchanged. The number of stocks that were locked in the upper circuit is 382 and stocks that were locked in the lower circuit today were 240. The numbers of stocks that have made a 52-week high are 116 and 20 stocks made a 52-week low today.