Mumbai: A day ahead of the first monetary policy review of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for 2015-16, a benchmark index of Indian equities markets, the 30-scrip BSE Sensitive Index (Sensex), was trading flat in the afternoon session on Monday.
The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was also flat during the morning trade session. It was trading 0.80 points or 0.01 percent down at 8,585.45 points.
The Sensex of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 28,351.94 points, was trading at 28,247.59 points (12.30 p.m.) in the afternoon session, down 12.55 points or 0.04 percent from the previous day`s close at 28,260.14 points.
The Sensex touched a high of 28,367.58 points and a low of 28,221.99 points in the intra-day trade so far.
Healthy buying was observed in healthcare, consumer durables, automobile, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and oil and gas sectors.
The S&P BSE healthcare index gained 505.88 points, consumer durables index increased by 159.45 points, automobile index was up 139.95 points, FMCG index was higher by 104.68 points and oil and gas index rose 37.01 points.
However, bank index plunged by 142.70 points, metal index fell 70.35 points, information technology (IT) index was down 53.99 points, followed by technology, entertainment and media (TECK) index down 20.64 points and realty index slipped by 2.64 points.
According to brokerage firm Angel Broking, Indian markets opened on a flat note tracking the SGX Nifty.
The major triggers for the markets in the week will be the concerns regarding the marginal increase in retail inflation for February which belied expectations of a rate cut in the RBI`s first monetary policy review for 2015-16.
The RBI is scheduled to announce its first bi-monthly policy review for 2015 on April 7.
"The language that the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) uses in its outlook statement would also be another key trigger for the markets. Global issues like the FINANCIAL outcome in Greece would also be of key interest to the Indian markets," Devendra Nevgi, chief executive of ZyFin Advisors, told IANS.
