Sensex ends 71 points down, Nifty a tad above 10,350 levels

The benchmark indices ended marginally lower today with Nifty settling 0.17% down at 10,360.40 points and BSE Sensex closing 0.21%, down at 33,703.59 points.

The indices curtailed some loss as PSU banks, IT, media and metal stocks performed slightly better. Nifty PSU Bank index was 0.83% up after a witnessing drastic fall yesterday.

The Nifty IT index closed 0.33% up, led by a rise in shares of KPIT Technologies and MindTree, while metal stocks rose over 1%.

In the banking sector, Syndicate Bank, Bank of India, IDBI, and Indian Bank rose up to 5%. Canara Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) were also among the top gainers.

In global markets, Asian stocks dipped after European equities broke a winning streak, while the dollar held firm after bouncing from three-year lows.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged 0.1% down. Japan’s Nikkei shed 0.4% after three successive days of gains.

The pan-European STOXX index fell 0.6% on Monday following three days of large gains, dragged down by falls in consumer staples stocks.

The US markets were closed on Monday for a holiday, leaving Asia short of the usual leads, with the focus on whether Wall Street could continue its recovery once trading resumed.

(With agency inputs)