The country?s equities ended flat on Wednesday amid volatile trade even as most Asian markets ended the day in the red. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued their buying spree for the tenth consecutive session.

?It?s good that we were able to stay in the positive zone despite the negative movements in the Asian and European markets,? said Deven Choksey, MD, KR Choksey Securities. ?Despite the Eurozone issue the mood in India remains positive.?

The 30-share Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) rose 6.25 points, or 0.04%, to close at 17,755.9, while the broader 50-share Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended up 6.6 points, or 0.12%, at 5323.1. ?The overall corporate results are likely to be buoyant, as a result of which some of the index heavyweights will invite buying,? said Choksey.

The market opened below its previous close tracking weak Asian stocks and slid sharply falling to a low of 17,629 at around 11.24 am. The market, however, rebounded sharply in early afternoon trade and moved into positive zone in mid-afternoon trade. Volatility was high as traders rolled over positions in the derivatives segment from the near-month June 2010 contracts to July 2010 contracts ahead of the expiry on Thursday.

According to BSE?s provisional estimates, FIIs were net buyers to the tune of Rs 265 crore, while domestic institutional investors sold shares worth Rs 866 crore. FIIs have bought Rs 6,834 crore worth of shares in the last 10 sessions. Among its peers, most of the key benchmark equity indices in Asia-Pacific ended in the red. Kospi and Jakarta Composite slipped 0.33% each, while Shanghai Composite lost 0.73%. Nikkei 225 lost the most at 1.87%. Hang Seng Index bucked the trend, gaining 0.18%.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 1.1% to 116.90 at 7:27 pm in Tokyo, the most since June 7. The measure has fallen 9.5% from its high this year on April 15 on speculation Chinese measures to curb property prices and Europe?s debt crisis will hurt global growth. Of the 30 Sensex stocks, 20 ended in green while 10 ended in the red. The breadth in the broader market remained strong throughout the trading session on the BSE with 1,764 stocks traded ending higher compared with 1,069 declines. Realty and healthcare indices gained the most at 1.43% and 1.42%, respectively. Of the BSE 500, 26 companies hit their 52-week high.