Mumbai, Oct 26 (IANS) Despite strong global cues, a key index of the Indian equities markets ended a volatile trading session 70 points in the red Monday as investors remained cautious ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s mid-year policy review Tuesday.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,808.05 points, shut shop at 16,740.50 points — 70.31 points or 0.42 percent lower than Friday’s close at 16,810.81 points.

The index had hit a high of 16,938.88 points around noon, but fell back into the red to hit an intra-day low of 16,706.08 points.

The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), too, followed a similar trajectory and ended in negative at 4,970.9 points, down 0.52 percent.

Broader market indices were also in the red, with the BSE midcap index ending 1.80 percent lower and the BSE smallcap index 1.31 percent down.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,743 stocks declining, 992 advancing and 67 remaining unchanged.

Among the gainers were Tata Motors, up 1.88 percent; Tata Steel up 1.79 percent; ITC, up 1.79 percent and HDFC up 1.69.

Among the losers were DLF, down 5.41 percent; Jaiprakash Associates, down 3.45 percent; Hindalco, down 3.08 percent and Reliance Communication, down 2.83 percent.

Other major Asian markets ended in the green.

The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed 79.63 points higher at 10,362.62 points.

The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, shut shop 379.21 points up at 22,589.73 points.

At the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the composite index ended 0.06 percent up at 3,109.57 points.

European markets were trading marginally in the green.

The FTSE 100 index in Britain was ruling 10 points higher at 5,252.6 points and its French peer, the CAC 40, was up 9.15 points at 3,817.39 points.

Germany’s DAX was ruling at 5,761.86 points, up 21.61 points.