Mumbai, Oct 23 (IANS) Key indices of the Indian equities markets ended flat Friday after declining gradually from the day’s highs, pulled down by selling of the Reliance Industries (RIL) scrip.
Most other global bourses were trading - or ended - higher in the green.

The RIL scrip ended 4.04 percent down at Rs.2,047.30 after its foreign partner in the D9 block of Krishna-Godavari basin, Hardy Oil and Gas, said it had encountered problems at one of its drilling wells at the gas find.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened higher at 16,795.66 points, shut shop at 16,810.81 points — 21.07 points or a mere 0.13 percent higher than Thursday’s close at 16,789.74 points.

The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), too, followed a similar trajectory and closed at 4,997.05 points, up 0.17 percent.

Broader market indices, however, did better with the BSE midcap index closing 1.03 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index ending 0.34 percent up.

The market breadth was tilted towards the positive, with 1,414 stocks advancing, 1,327 declining and 110 remaining unchanged.

Among the gainers around this time on the Sensex were ITC, up 4.97 percent at Rs.259.85; M&M, up 2.8 percent at Rs.925.55; Tata Power, up 2.59 percent at Rs.1,461.10, and Hindalco, up 2.28 percent at Rs.141.35.

Among the losers were Grasim, down 3.12 percent at Rs.2,150.40; Tata Motors, down 2.31 percent at Rs.529.40 and L&T, down a similar 2.31 percent at Rs.1,571.35.

Majority of other Asian markets ended in the green.

The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed 0.15 percent higher at 10,282.99 points.

The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, shut shop 1.71 percent up at 22,589.73 points.

At the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the composite index ended 1.85 percent up at 3,107.85 points.

The Kospi, benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, was also in the positive at 1,640.17 points, up 0.6 percent.

European markets were trading in the green with key indices having made a strong opening.

The FTSE 100 index in Britain was ruling 1.41 percent higher at 5,281.04 points and its French peer, the CAC 40, was up 1.06 percent at 3,861.17 points.

Germany’s DAX was ruling at 5,822.93 points, up 1.04 percent.