Indian equities end 2018 on a sluggish note

Snapping their three-session rising streak, market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended the last trading session of 2018 with marginal losses amid mixed cues from global markets.

The 30-share BSE index fell 8.39 points, or 0.02 per cent, to finish at 36,068.33; while the broader NSE Nifty edged lower by 2.65 points, or 0.02 per cent, to 10,862.55.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange, the Indian rupee, however, was trading 15 paise higher at 69.80 (intra-day) against the US dollar.

The benchmark Brent crude was trading higher by 1.84 per cent at USD 54.19 per barrel.

On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 119.60 crore Friday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,199.40 crore, provisional data available with the BSE showed.