Indian shares ended almost unchanged on Monday as early gains faded due to profit-taking and concerns over rising Brent crude prices amid geopolitical tensions, with mixed sector performances indicating a cautious pause in the market.
Indian shares ended almost unchanged on Monday after a choppy session, as early buying failed to hold and profit-taking pared gains by the close. The Sensex finished at 78,542.44, up 43.27 points, while the Nifty 50 edged up 13.15 points to 24,583.80. The Sensex is the benchmark for 30 large, well-established companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange, while the Nifty tracks 50 of the biggest and most liquid firms on the National Stock Exchange.
Traders said the market was pulled in different directions by softer-than-expected US jobs data and a solid earnings backdrop on one side, and a sharp rise in Brent crude and lingering West Asia tension on the other. Brent is a key global oil benchmark, and the move higher added to caution at a time when investors were already reluctant to chase stocks after the recent rally.
Sector trends were mixed. Realty, financial services and information technology stocks led the advance, while several heavyweight names dragged on the indices. On the BSE, Titan, Tata Steel, Asian Paints, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Tech, Larsen & Toubro, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharat Electronics, Infosys and Trent were among the main gainers. Among the losers were SBI, Eternal, ITC, Bharti Airtel, Power Grid, Reliance Industries and IndiGo.
Market watchers said the session looked more like a pause than a reversal. Riyank Arora of Hedged.in said the pullback appeared to be routine profit-booking and argued that the broader trend still favoured buyers if key support levels held. Vipin Dixena said Nifty was consolidating near 24,600, with 24,500 to 24,450 seen as important near-term support and 24,650 to 24,700 acting as the immediate resistance band. A move above 24,700, he said, could revive momentum, while a break below 24,500 would raise the risk of a deeper correction.
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