The 30-share index BSE Sensex ended slightly higher on Monday, Aug 25 after an early rally bolted out of steam, following a negative opening in European markets and as oil prices climbed up from a sharp fall.

Volume was light as capitalists were wary of foreign funds, which have been heavy sellers during the year (2008), while a decelerating domestic financial system and soaring interest rates gave some relief.

Indian stock markets closed the week on a positive note on Friday (August 22) after making a gain of 157.76 points at 14,401.49 after touching an intra-day high of 14,428.52 and an intra-day low of 14,136.86.

In contrast, the broad-based NSE Nifty marked its closure at 4,327.45, up 43.60 points, after touching an intra-day high of 4,337.00 and an intra-day low of 4,248.00.

In volatile trade, the stock markets overcame the initial setback on Friday (August 08) with the benchmark Sensex gaining more than 50 points to remain above 15,000-level at the closing time after declining below this crucial level during late morning trade.

Finally, the 30-share bellwether index on the Bombay Stock Exchange ended the day at 15,167.82, up 50.57 points, on account of some buying action witnessed in metal and capital goods stocks.

Indian equities closed on an encouraging note, on Tuesday (August 05), on the back of good buying action seen across all segments, with Bankex (6.65%) and Realty (6.56%) sectors being the major gainers among the sectoral indices.

Volatility jitters, which were seen during the early trading sessions, turned down in the late closing sessions with markets zooming 383.20 points.

BSE Midcap and Smallcap index closed the day positively after gaining 1.76% and 1.26% respectively.

Asian stocks reported a declension with mining companies being in the front line.

Indian stock markets ended that day negatively amid volatility. Heavy buying activity was seen in FMCG, metal, healthcare stocks, whereas oil, power and consumer goods stocks went down.

The 30-share index Sensex, on Monday (August 4), opened with a negative gap of 62.05 points at 14,594.64 the back of profit booking. After few minutes, Sensex moved into the positive terrain to trade on a flat note.

BSE Midcap and Smallcap index closed after gaining 1.77% each.

The 30-share index, Sensex closed the week on a positive note on Friday (August 1) after gaining 300.94 points at 14,355.75 after touching a high of 14,369.59, while the broad-based NSE Nifty ended the week at 4,413.55, up 80.60 points, after hitting a high of 4,422.95.

Good buying action was seen across various sectors.

BSE Midcap and Smallcap index surged 0.24% and 0.21% respectively.

The overall market breadth was positive as it saw 1,551 advancements as compared to 1,108 declinations.