Sensex ends 118 points down

Mumbai, Dec 7 : A key indian equities index ended trade 118 points in the red Monday as heavyweight stocks came under selling pressure.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that opened at 17,106.74 points closed at 16,983.14 points, down 118.4 points or 0.69 percent from Friday's closing at 17,101.54 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S and P CNX Nifty closed at 5,066.70 points, against the previous close at 5,108.9 points, a loss of 0.83 percent.

Broader market indices were also in the red, with the BSE midcap index closing 0.79 percent down and the BSE small cap index 0.41 percent lower.

Among the major gainers on the Sensex were Bharti Airtel, up 2.11 percent; HDFC, up 1.23 percent; L and T, up 1.2 percent and HDFC Bank, up 0.74 percent.

The metal and realty stocks led the downward rally.

The major losers were Sterlite Industries, down 4.21 percent; Tata Steel, down 3.38 percent; Hindalco Industries, down 3.22 percent; Reliance Industries, down 3.07 percent and DLF, down 3.07 percent.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,461 stocks declining, 1,317 advancing and 84 remaining unchanged.

Other major Asian indices were trading mixed.

A key Japanese index, the Nikkei, closed 145.01 points higher at 10,167.60 points.

The Hang Seng, a benchmark index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ended at 22,324.96 points, down 173.19 points or 0.77 percent.

The Korean Kospi closed 0.49 percent or 7.89 points up at 1,632.65 points.

In China, the Shanghai composite index closed in the green at 3331.9 points, up 0.45 percent.

European markets were in the negative.

A key index of the London Stock Exchange, the FTSE 100 index, was ruling 33.73 points or 0.63 percent down at 5,288.63 points.

The French index, CAC 40, was at 3,836.39 points, down 10.23 points, while its German peer, the DAX was trading 25.97 percent lower at 5,791.6 points.

--IANS