Sensex ends four-day rally, down 58 points (Roundup)

A key index of Indian equities markets snapped its four-day rally Tuesday and shut shop 58 points lower than its previous close.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened higher at 16,552.43 points, closed at 16,440.56 points, 0.35 percent or 58.16 points below Monday's close at 16,498.72 points.

The index had hit an intra-day high of 16,677.53 points in the morning session, but slipped into the red around noon as investors turned cautious and started selling some stocks.

The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), too, closed in the red at 4,881.7 points, down 0.34 percent from its last close.

Mid-to-small capitalised scrips also ended trade in the negative terrain, with the BSE midcap index closing 0.43 percent down and the BSE small cap index ending 0.38 percent lower.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,463 stocks declining, 1,290 advancing and 56 remaining unchanged.

Among the top gainers on the Sensex were Tata Motors, up 2.26 percent; State Bank of India, up 2.14 percent; Reliance Industries, up 1.39 percent and ICICI Bank, up 0.66 percent.

Leading losers were Bharti Airtel, down 4.47 percent; Hero Honda, down 3.27 percent; DLF, down 3.17 percent; Reliance Communications, down 2.9 percent and Maruti Suzuki, down 2.73 percent.

According to data with the regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors bought shares worth $139.4 million Tuesday.

Other leading Asian markets closed in the green.

The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, closed 60.61 points or 0.27 percent up at 22,268.16 points.

The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, also closed 61.74 points higher at 9,870.73 points.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange composite index shut shop 0.10 percent higher at 3178.61 points.

European markets were ruling marginally higher.

Britain's FTSE 100 index was ruling 10.9 points higher at 5,246.08 points, while its German peer, DAX, was trading at 5,637.34 points, up 17.62 points.

The French index, CAC 40, was also ruling in the green at 3,790.03 points, up 4.54 points.

Last updated on Nov 10^th, 2009 at 17:25 pm IST--IANS