Nifty ends below 6,700

MUMBAI, Apr 4 (Economic Times): The Nifty closed in the negative territory for second consecutive session as investors chose to shift focus to broader markets after a sharp upmove in benchmark indices.

The 50-share index ended at 6,692.55, down 43.55 points or 0.65 per cent. It touched a high of 6,741.85 and a low of 6,685.15 in trade Friday.

The S&P BSE Sensex closed at 22,359.50, down 149.57 points or 0.66 per cent. It touched a high of 22,525.21 and an intraday low of 22,339.40 in trade.

The S&P BSE Midcap Index was up 0.37 per cent and the S&P BSE Smallcap Index gained 0.80 per cent.

Among the sectoral indices, the S&P BSE Auto Index was down 1 per cent, the S&P BSE IT Index was 0.95 per cent lower and the S&P BSE Capital Goods Index was 0.74 per cent lower.

The S&P BSE Realty Index was up 3.37 per cent and the S&P BSE Metal Index gained 0.25 per cent.

BHEL (2.32 per cent), NTPC (2.20 per cent), Power Grid Corporation (2.02 per cent), HCL Tech  (1.88 per cent) and United Spirits (1.81 per cent) were among the index losers.

DLF  (up 2.18 per cent), Cipla (up 2.17 per cent), PNB (up 1.64 per cent), IndusInd Bank  (up 1.13 per cent and Tata Steel (up 1.08 per cent) were among the Nifty gainers.

The market breadth was positive on the NSE with 593 gainers against 368 losers.