Mumbai, Dec 7 (IANS) A key Indian equities index crawled back into the green briefly post noon Monday but was ruling flat even as metal majors came under selling pressure.
At 12.20 p.m., the sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that opened at 17,106.74 points was trading flat at 17,104.59 points, up a meagre 3.05 points or 0.02 percent from Friday’s closing at 17,101.54 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was at 5,105.4 points, against the previous close at 5,108.9 points, a loss of 3.5 points or 0.07 percent.

Buying activity was slightly better across the market with broader market indices reflecting some gains. The BSE midcap index was up 0.26 percent, while the BSE small cap index ruling 0.68 percent higher.

The market breadth was tilted towards the positive, with 1,550 stocks advancing, 1,010 scrips declining and 76 remaining unchanged.

Most other Asian markets were ruling in the green.

A key Japanese index, the Nikkei, closed 1.45 percent or 145.01 points up at 10,167.6 points even as exporter sentiments turned positive with the rise of the US dollar against the Japanese Yen.

The Kospi, the benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, was ruling at 1,632.65 points, up 0.49 percent.

In China, the Shanghai composite index was ruling 0.35 percent in the green at 3,328.54 points.

However, the Hang Seng, a benchmark index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was in the negative at 22,397.05 points, 0.45 percent or 101.1 points down.