Mumbai, Oct 20 (IANS) Profit booking pushed a key Indian equity index down 0.59 percent Tuesday even as global markets remained firm.
The 30-scrip sensitive index, Sensex, of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,196.8 points, closed at 17,223.01 points, down 0.59 percent or 103 points over Saturday’s close at 17,326.01 points.

The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) too closed in the red at 5,114.45 points, down 0.53 percent.

The selling pressure was prevalent in mid-to-small capitalised company scrips as well and the BSE midcap index ended 0.06 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index closed 0.15 percent up.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,322 stocks advancing, 1,471 declining and 51 remaining unchanged.

Among the gainers on the Sensex were Hindalco, up 4.74 percent at Rs.141.30; Tata Steel, up 2.09 percent at Rs.575.25; TCS, up 2.09 percent at Rs.621.40 and Jaiprakash Associates, up 2.04 percent at Rs.265.15.

Among the losers were M&M, down 3 percent at Rs.907.95; Reliance Communications, down 2.85 percent at Rs.231.55; ONGC, down 2.48 percent at Rs.1,207.95, and Reliance Industries, down 1.84 percent at Rs.2,183.85.

Other Asian markets were ruling firm.

The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed 100.33 points or 0.98 percent higher at 10,336.84 points.

The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, also shut shop in the green at 22,384.96 points, 184.5 points or 0.83 percent up.

At the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the composite index was up 1.52 percent at 3,084.79 points.

The Kospi, benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, too closed in the positive at 1,659.15 points, up 10.08 points or 0.61 percent.

Trading at European markets also remained strong with the FTSE 100 index in Britain ruling 0.04 percent higher at 5,283.63 points after having slipped into the red earlier. Its French peer, the CAC 40, was up 0.05 percent at 3,894.48 points.

Germany’s DAX was ruling at 5,854.2 points, up 0.03 percent.