Sensex down marginally as pharmaceutical firms and banks dwindle

Mamata-BanarjeeAfter a choppy trade on Wednesday, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark index Sensex closed at 16,255.97, down by 30.35 points ahead of expiry as stocks of pharmaceutical companies and banks decline.

Railway Minister Mamta Banarjee's populist budget also could not provide a boost to the Indian market as 19 of the 30 Sensex constituents ended in red.

Among the 30 Sensex companies, Sun Pharma remained the biggest loser after declining to Rs. 1, 532.55 per share, down by 2.51 per cent, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra, which dropped 2.43 per cent to Rs. 956.65 per share during the day's trade.

However, the losses faced by pharmaceutical and banks were covered up to a large extent by few other sectors like oil and gas and IT.

Maruti Suzuki and NTPC emerged as the top gainers for the day. While shares of Maruti rose 2.38 per cent to Rs1, 368.65 a share, NTPC moved 1.36 per cent up to Rs. 204.35 per share.

The broader 50-scrip index of National Stock Exchange S&P CNX Nifty too closed marginally down at 4,861.70 against its previous close pf 4,870.05, down by 8.35 points or 0.17 per cent.

Other broader indices at the BSE including the BSE Small Cap index and the BSE Mid Cap index also finished the day after declining narrowly.