Closing Bell: Sensex, Nifty finish largely unchanged on expiry day; IT stocks outperform, FMCG and banks remain under pressure

Synopsis: Indian benchmark indices ended nearly flat after a volatile expiry-day session. Gains in IT, realty and consumer durables were offset by selling in FMCG, energy and banking stocks. Indian stock markets closed on a subdued note on July 28, as investors navigated a volatile monthly expiry session. The Sensex slipped 69.86 points, or 0.09%, to 76,765.92, while the Nifty 50 eased 10.60 points, or 0.04%, to settle at 23,985.35. Market breadth across sectors remained mixed. Nifty IT was the best-performing index, soaring 3.2%, followed by Nifty Realty, which gained 2%, and Nifty Consumer Durables, up 1.08%. Nifty Auto added 0.69%, while Nifty Pharma ended with modest gains of 0.2%. On the downside, Nifty Energy led the losses with a 1.7% decline. Nifty FMCG dropped 1.4%, while Nifty PSU Bank fell 0.9%. Nifty Metal lost 0.6%, Nifty Bank declined 0.58%, Nifty Infrastructure shed 0.5%, Nifty Private Bank slipped 0.4%, and Nifty Media ended 0.34% lower. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing,