Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) A benchmark index for Indian equities closed a modest 29 points up Thursday on what was a rather dull day of trade.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,492.81 points, shut shop at 17,519.26 points, up 29.18 points or 0.17 percent from its previous close.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 5,245.9 points against the previous close at 5,231.9 points, a gain of 0.27 percent or 14 points.

Broader markets too were lacklustre, with the BSE midcap index ending 0.37 percent up and the BSE small cap index closing 0.06 percent higher.

Of the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE, banking, telecom and metals stocks gained the most, while FMCG and PSU scrips saw some selling.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,260 stocks advancing, 1,566 on the decline and 104 remaining unchanged.

Among the gainers on the 30-scrip Sensex were Jaiprakash Associates, up 2.53 percent at Rs.152.20; Reliance Communications, up 2.11 percent at Rs.164.40; Infosys, up 1.66 percent at Rs.2,784.75; and Hindalco, up 1.56 percent at Rs.176.25.

Top losers included M&M, down 3.32 percent at Rs.1,087.15; ONGC, down 1.88 percent at Rs.1,054.50; TCS, down 1.64 percent at Rs.826.95; and Wipro, down 1.47 percent at Rs.728.70.

Other Asian markets ended in a slump as well.

The benchmark Japanese index, Nikkei, closed 0.95 percent down at 10,744.03 points, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 0.25 percent lower at 21,330.67 points.

The South Korean Kospi too closed in the red, moving down 0.46 percent to 1,675.17 points, while the Chinese Shanghai composite index shut shop 0.14 percent down at 3,046.09 points.

European markets were trading flat as well.

The FTSE 100, the benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, was ruling at 5,646.55 points, up a meagre 0.03 percent, while its German peer, DAX, was trading 0.03 percent lower at 6,022.75 points.

The French CAC 40 index was also in the red at 3,949.73 points, down 0.21 percent.