Closing Bell: Sensex ends marginally higher, Nifty slips in volatile session; IT and consumer durables lead sectoral gains

Sensex Today Benchmarks settle flat as gains in IT offset weakness in banks, realty Indian benchmark equity indices ended Thursday's trade on a largely unchanged note after a highly volatile session, with buying in IT, consumer durables, and auto stocks countering losses in banking and realty shares. The BSE Sensex inched up 1.44 points to close at 77,186.87, while the NSE Nifty 50 eased 5.75 points, or 0.02%, to settle at 24,072.75. On the sectoral front, Nifty Consumer Durables topped the gainers with a 1.4% rise, followed by Nifty Media (1%), Nifty IT (0.5%) and Nifty Auto (0.4%). Nifty FMCG, Nifty Oil & Gas, and Nifty Pharma also ended the session in the green. Meanwhile, Nifty Realty emerged as the biggest laggard, falling 1%. Nifty PSU Bank lost 0.5%, while Nifty Metal declined 0.35%. Nifty Private Bank and Nifty Bank also ended lower, shedding 0.28% and 0.27%, respectively, as financial stocks remained under pressure. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing,