Sensex flat in afternoon trade

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,978.37 points, was ruling at 17,947.32 points, 29.91 points or 0.17 percent down from its previous close at 17,977.23 points. At the National Stock Exchange(NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was trading at 5,393.1 points, down 0.12 percent from its previous close at 5,399.35 points.
   

Broader markets indices were in the green, with the BSE midcap index 0.14 per cent up and the BSE smallcap index 0.2 per cent higher. Consumer durables, metals, auto and FMCG stocks were doing well, while realty scrips saw some selling. The market breadth was positive, with 1,431 scrips advancing, compared to 1,356 stocks declining, and 103 remaining unchanged.                       

Other major Asian markets were in the negative with traders choosing to book profits after US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke commented that the economic outlook was "unusually uncertain".

The Japanese Nikkei shut shop in the red at 9,220.88 points, down 0.62 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.05 percent at 20,477.29 points, while the South Korean Kospi ended with a 0.76 percent loss at 1,735.53 points. The Chinese Shanghai Composite index was up 1.07 percent at 2,562.41 points.