Samvat 2068 ends: Sensex, Nifty down

A mixed trend in Asian region and lower opening in Europe on earning concerns further soured the market sentiment.

There will be a special 75-minute 'Muhurat' trading on Diwali between 1545 hrs and 1700 hrs to start Samvat 2069.

The Sensex has risen by around 8.2 per cent in Samvat 2068.

Trading activity was also tepid today with data showing FIIs sold shares worth a net Rs 204.24 crore last Friday.

"Indices opened on a flat note and made initial highs. Soon afterwards, the indices was seen drifting to lower territory and selling pressure increased after IIP data

announcement," said Nidhi Sarswat, Senior Research Analyst, Bonanza Portfolio.

Globally, Asian stocks ended mixed with downward bias after reports said Japan's economy shrank at the fastest pace since last year's earthquake, overshadowing an acceleration in China's exports.

Key indices from Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan ended with losses while those from China and Hong Kong closed with gains.

In Europe, France's CAC was quoting lower by 0.14 per cent in afternoon trade while Germany's DAX and the UK's FTSE were up 0.19-0.22 per cent.

Back home, major losers from the Sensex pack included Tata Steel (1.72 pc), Hero MotoCorp (1.67 pc), ITC (1.56 pc), Tata Power (1.43 pc) and Jindal Steel (0.95 pc).

However, Bharti Airtel rose by 1.63 per cent, SBI by 1.59 per cent, TCS by 0.66 per cent and Infosys by 0.48 per cent.

Among sectoral indices, BSE-Metal declined by 0.70 per

... contd.