Mumbai, Dec 4 (IANS) A key Indian equities index shut shop marginally in the red Friday — 0.49 percent down — with major auto stocks coming under selling pressure.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that opened at 17,182.23 points closed at 17,101.54 points, down 84.14 points or 0.49 percent from Thursday’s close at 17,185.68 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty shut at 5,108.9 points, against the previous close at 5,131.7 points, a loss of 22.8 points or 0.44 percent.

Broader market indices ended mixed as the BSE midcap index closed 0.19 percent down, while the BSE small cap index ended 0.38 percent higher.

Among the major gainers on the Sensex were Bharti Airtel, up 0.99 percent at Rs.309.85; TCS, up 0.77 percent at Rs.695.50; Reliance Infra, down 0.77 percent at Rs.1,066.05 and Hindalco, up 0.68 percent at Rs.147.30.

The major losers were Maruti Suzuki, down 2.44 percent at Rs.1,595.25; M&M, down 2.17 percent at Rs.1,044.90; Hero Honda, down 1.61 percent at Rs.1,666.50; and ICICI Bank, down 1.42 percent at Rs.871.35.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,372 stocks advancing, 1,435 declining and 60 remaining unchanged.

Most other major Asian indices ended in the green.

A key Japanese index, the Nikkei, closed 44.92 points or 0.45 percent higher at 10,022.59 points.

The Hang Seng, a benchmark index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ended at 22,498.15 points, down 55.72 points or 0.25 percent.

The Korean Kospi closed 0.6 percent or 9.76 points up at 1,624.76 points.

In China, the Shanghai composite index also closed in the green at 3,317.04 points, up 1.61 percent.

European markets, which opened weak, were trading in the negative.

A key index of the London Stock Exchange, the FTSE 100 index, was ruling 30.63 points or 0.58 percent down at 5,282.37 points.

The French index, CAC 40, was at 3,776.76 points, down 0.59 percent, while its German peer, the DAX was trading a similar 0.56 percent lower at 5,737.92 points.