Mumbai

Domestic benchmark indices ended on muted note on Monday following a volatile session, as the benchmarks struggled to build on early gains. Surging Brent crude prices and continuing West Asia uncertainty offset the positive impact of softer-than-expected US jobs data and strong corporate earnings, as per analysts.

Sectorally, the market witnessed a mixed session with realty, financial services and IT stocks leading the gains. Further, investors booked profits following the recent rally. Sensex closed in the green at 78,542.44, up 43.27 points or 0.06 per cent, likewise Nifty ended the session in the positive territory, settling at 24,583.80, up 13.15 points or 0.05 per cent.

In the commodity market, Brent crude was trading at around USD 84.53 per barrel while crude oil was trading at around USD 78.98 per barrel. At the same time, gold was trading at around USD 4,340.44.

On BSE, Titan, Tata Steel, Asian Paint, M&M, HCL Tech, LT, Kotak Bank, BEL, Infosys, Trent among others were the major gainers. Meanwhile, SBI, Eternal, ITC, Bharti Airtel, Power Grid, Reliance, Indi Go among others were the major losers.

Likewise, on NSE, Titan, Kotak Bank, BEL, Infosys, Cipla, JSW Steel, Bajaj Auto, HCL Tech, ONGC, Maruti among others were the top gainers. ITC, SBI, Eternal, Coal India, Wipro, Adani Ports, Nestle, NTPC, Hindustan Unilever among others were the top drags.

Riyank Arora, Associate Vice President - HNI & Derivatives, Hedged.in noted, "Today's dip looks like routine profit booking rather than a change in trend, provided the key supports hold. The larger picture still favours the bulls. A buy-on-dips approach in quality names, backed by disciplined risk management, remains the sensible way to play this."

"Weakness in a handful of large-cap names set the tone for the session, and the close came in on a cautious footing. That said, the broader trend hasn't been dented -- global and domestic cues remain the key swing factors from here," Arora said.

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Market analyst Vipin Dixena noted, "Today's price action reflects a market that is still looking for a clear trigger. Despite the supportive earnings backdrop, the inability of the benchmarks to sustain the morning gains indicates that investors are becoming selective at current levels. Stock-specific action remained important, with Titan, Hero MotoCorp and Oil India among the stocks attracting attention, while PFC and some PSU banking names remained under pressure."

"Nifty continues to consolidate around the 24,600 mark. The 24,500-24,450 zone remains an important near-term support area, while 24,650-24,700 is the immediate resistance zone. A decisive breakout above 24,700 could bring fresh momentum, whereas a sustained break below 24,500 would increase the risk of further consolidation or correction," he said.