Mid-day market trade: Indices trade on a flat note amid profit booking; Nifty Midcap100 down over 1%

Indian equities led by across the board sell-off intensified on profit booking at higher levels traded on a nearly flattish note. Nifty in the mid-day market trade was off 25,000 levels and up just by a marginal 0.1 per cent at 24,977.3.

Nonetheless, the broader markets posted sharp correction even as the investor sentiment remained upbeat on global positive cues. Nifty Midcap 100 which clocked fresh highs earlier in the day was last trading with a cut over 1 per cent. Meanwhile, Bank Nifty also posted losses ahead of the earnings by banking major SBI on Saturday.

Sectorally all but defensive stocks including FMCG and pharma traded in the green, while all others succumbed to losses, with realty, media and auto pack leading the losses down up to 2 per cent.

Raj Vyas,  Vice President - Research, Teji Mandi after the markets showed remarkable resilience and Nifty breached the key psychological levels of 25,000 said the US Fed meet outcome helped the Indian indices. The performance is also backed by good quarterly earnings, falling fiscal deficit and cooler inflation, he added.

Sectorally, top Nifty gainers were majorly from the PSU basket including Power Grid Corporation, Coal India, NTPC, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Tata Consumer Products. The laggards, however, were M&M, Hero MotoCorp, BPCL, Tata Motors and Tata Steel.

Meanwhile, European markets traded sharply lower, with German CAC index down over 1 per cent as a prospect of an increased likelihood of interest rate easing by the US Fed boosted global bonds.