Mkts end marginally lower

PTI mumbai

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended flat on Tuesday as investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of key global central bank policy meetings this week and amid a heavy sell-off across Asian markets.  

The 30-share BSE Sensex dipped 69.86 points, or 0.09%, to settle at 76,765.92. During the session, it hit a high of 76,988.48 and a low of 76,672.77, gyrating 315.71 points. The 50-share NSE Nifty slipped 10.60 points, or 0.04%, to end at 23,985.35. 

From the Sensex pack, Hindustan Unilever tanked 6.97% after the fast-moving consumer goods major reported a 3.17% year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit to ₹2,680 crore for the June quarter, mainly on account of exceptional items and higher taxes. 

Bharat Electronics, NTPC, ICICI Bank, Power Grid, and Reliance Industries were also among the laggards. 

Tata Consultancy Services, Eternal, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, and Titan were among the major gainers. 

"The respite in crude oil prices provided relief to markets by easing concerns over inflation and input cost pressures. However, investor sentiment remained cautious ahead of key central bank policy meetings this week, including those of the Fed, BoE, and BoJ," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Ltd, said. 

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dropped 2.82% to $85.87 per barrel.