Sensex, Nifty retreat from highs as mkts log 1st drop in 7 days

Markets struggled to maintain lead as profit-booking in key sectors dragged the benchmark BSE Sensex down by 76.49 points in morning trade today.

There was profit-booking in FMCG, auto, realty, banks, capital goods and consumer durable sector stocks that made the 30-share index fall.

Earlier, the Sensex traded positive and the Nifty once again breached the 7,900-level on sentimIn its first drop in seven days, the benchmark Sensex today retreated from record highs and ended 106 points down at 26,314.29 as investors booked gains in oil&gas, FMCG and capital goods scrips amid mixed global cues.

Losses in counters like ONGC, GAIL, RIL, SBI, Axis Bank, Mahindra and Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, ITC and Larsen & Toubro mainly weighed on the market sentiment.

Bucking the general weak trend, pharma sector stocks such as Dr Reddys Lab, Ranbaxy Cipla and Sun Pharma ended higher -- providing investors some relief.

The BSE Sensex ended down 106.38 points, or 0.40 per cent, to end at 26,314.29 after surging to 26,504.52 intra- day. Yesterday, the 30-share benchmark had ended at its all-time closing high of 26,420.67 and had also logged intra-day life high of 26,530.67. In previous six days of straight gains, it had gained over 1,091 points.

The NSE Nifty in early trade hit a new high of 7,922.70 but slipped below the 7,900-mark to close at 7,875.30, down 22.20 points or 0.28 per cent. Its earlier all-time closing high was 7,897.50. Yesterday, it had touched intra-day record high of 7,918.55. In previous six days, it rose 329 points.

"Investors booked profits after the recent surge which saw them reach record high levels. Buying interest was seen in IT and pharma stocks on account of a weak rupee against the dollar," said Rakesh Goyal, Senior Vice President, Bonanza Portfolio.

Sectorwise, the BSE Oil and gas index suffered the most by falling 1.32 per cent, followed by FMCG Index 0.70 per cent and Auto Index 0.56 per cent.

However, Healthcare index ended 2.93 per cent higher, Power index 0.73 per cent, Realty index 0.52 per cent and IT index 0.23 per cent.

Meanwhile, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 559.39 crore yesterday, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.

In Asia, most indices edged higher following a positive lead from Wall Street, where stocks picked up on encouraging US data before a keynote speech this week by Fed chief.

However, Europe's main stock markets dipped at the start of trading on Wednesday after two days of strong gains. London's benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.12 per cent and Frankfurt's DAX 30 edged down 0.05 per cent. The CAC 40 index in Paris also lost 0.10 per cent.

The 30-share Sensex opened higher at 26,496.29 and fluctuated to a high of 26,504.52 and a low of 26,336.25 before quoting 26,405.41 points at 1100 hours.

It showed a loss of 76.49 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 26,344.18. The NSE 50-share barometer Nifty also marked new peak of 7,922.70. It was down by 23.35 points, or 0.30 per cent, to 7,874.15 at 1100 hours.

Major losers were ONGC (1.82 per cent), HeroMoto (0.74 per cent), SBIN (1.08 per cent), ITC (0.60 per cent), Hind Unilever (0.89 per cent), Axis Bank (1.04 per cent) and L&T (0.77 per cent).

Most Asian stocks were trading higher after strong US housing data lifted American stocks. Key benchmark indices in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia rose 0.11-0.43 per cent, while major indices in China, Japan and South Korea fell 0.02-0.14 per cent.

Meanwhile, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 559.39 crore yesterday, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.