The key equity indices traded near flat line in the mid-afternoon trade. The Nifty traded below the 22,950 mark. FMCG shares witnessed selling pressure for the twelfth consecutive trading session.
At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 38.23 points or 0.05% to 75,958.63. The Nifty 50 index declined 20.40 points or 0.09% to 22,939.10.
The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index declined 0.75% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index dropped 2.21%.
The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 837 shares rose and 3,078 shares fell. A total of 115 shares were unchanged.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty FMCG index shed 0.97% to 52,430.05. The index tumbled 10.22% over the past twelve trading sessions.
Balrampur Chini Mills (down 4.14%), Radico Khaitan (down 3.51%), Godrej Consumer Products (down 2.34%), Hindustan Unilever (down 1.63%), United Spirits (down 1.18%), Dabur India (down 1.02%), Varun Beverages (down 0.97%), Britannia Industries (down 0.84%), Colgate-Palmolive (India) (down 0.71%) and ITC (down 0.7%) declined.
On the other hand, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care (up 1.3%), Tata Consumer Products (up 0.18%) and Nestle India (up 0.01%) edged higher.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper advanced 1.70% to 6.806 as compared with the previous close of 6.801.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 86.9625, compared with its close of 86.8850 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 4 April 2025 settlement were added 0.49% to Rs 85,480.
The US Dollar index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.17% to 106.91.
The United States 10-year bond yield rose 0.78% to 4.511.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for April 2025 settlement rose 65 cents or 0.87% to $75.39 a barrel.