Sensex ends flat

The Sensex closed 0.1 per cent lower in flip-flop trade on Tuesday, weighed by weak global markets and high oil prices, and as investors booked profits after the main index saw its highest close in nearly three months in the previous session. Top engineering firm Larsen & Toubro and lender ICICI Bank led the losses, even as energy major Reliance Industries — having the heaviest weight of 12 per cent in the main index — also ended in the red.

The main 30-share BSE index closed 0.08 per cent , or 15 points down, at 19,686.82 points, with 18 of its components ending in the negative. The index started the day 0.2 per cent up and fell as much as 0.9 per cent. The 50-share NSE index edged up 0.03 per cent, or 1.6 points , to 5,910.05 points.

Shares in Larsen & Toubro fell 1.3 per cent to Rs 1,667.35, while ICICI lost 0.8 per cent to Rs 1,110 . Reliance Industries fell 0.5 per cent to Rs 1,044.95.

Shares in Idea Cellular closed 4.2 per cent up at Rs 70.30, having risen as much as 8.4 per cent earlier. Bloomberg had reported the controlling shareholder of the operator was mulling a stake sale and has held talks with potential bidders, including the MTN Group.

"We are not selling off," a spokeswoman for Idea's parent Aditya Birla Group said. Shares in power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals rose 1.6 per cent to Rs 2,209.40, extending their gains of nearly three per cent in the previous session on strong order growth outlook. In the broader BSE market, there were more than two gainers for every loser on a relatively low volume of about 380 million shares.