FINAL TRADE: Domestic shares were subdued on Monday, February 26, amid selling in technology and financial stocks and a drop in Asian Paints on concerns over increasing competition. Besides, investors likely booked profits after a record-breaking run last week.

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The blue-chip index NSE Nifty 50 closed 0.41 per cent, or 90.65 points, lower at 22,122.05 levels after hitting record highs in each of the five sessions last week. The BSE Sensex shed 0.48 per cent, or 352.67 points, to settle at 72,790.13.

"The market took a breather after the recent runup as investors' focus shifted from earnings to economic triggers this week, Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services, said.

"The US and India GDP data, eurozone inflation, and US jobless claim data will be influential economic numbers for the central bank to take a call on interest rates, which will dictate market sentiment in the near term. The uncertainty over demand and high US inventory pushed oil prices down," Nair added.

Among the Nifty 50 stocks, 37 declined, with L&T, Power Grid, Adani Enterprises, Tata Consumer Products, and SBI Life being the top laggards, slipping in the range of 2-1 per cent. Conversely, Asian Paints, Apollo Hospitals, Hindalco, and Divi's Laboratories were the top gainers, rising between 4 and 2 per cent.

In the broader market, Nifty Mid Cap 100 and Small Cap 100 settled over 0.36 per cent and 0.26 per cent lower, respectively. Meanwhile, high-beta Nifty Bank was down 0.5 per cent, or 235.25 points, at 46,576.5. 

GLOBAL MARKET

European shares opened lower on Monday as greenback-priced commodities lost their appeal on a firmer US dollar, while investors braced for key inflation data expected this week from the eurozone and the United States.

The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.2 per cent by 0823 GMT, following a record-high close for the broader European market on Friday. The basic resources sub-index led the losses with a 1.4 per cent drop, followed by oil and gas stocks (SXEP) with a 0.8 per cent slide, as prices of most metals and crude oil slipped after the dollar rose on market views that higher-than-expected inflation could delay cuts to interest rates.

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