Sensex trades volatile, Nifty slips below 24,600; metal counters rally

Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, moved in a volatile range on Wednesday as investors stayed cautious ahead of a crucial Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting, which is expected to announce rate cuts on a broad range of items. Sector-wise, metal and banking shares led the gains, supported by resilience in pharma and energy counters. However, weakness in IT and realty stocks dampened overall sentiment, limiting the broader market’s upside momentum. Global Market Trends S&P 500 futures remained largely flat as of 12:11 p.m. Tokyo time Japan’s Topix slipped 0.4% Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.3% Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged lower by 0.2% The Shanghai Composite declined 0.7% Euro Stoxx 50 futures advanced 0.5%