Sensex pares losses, ends 26 points down (Roundup)

Mumbai, Aug 3 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Friday closed 26 points down, recouping losses made early in the day. Metal, auto and banking stocks were the worst performers.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,164.48 points, closed 17,197.93 points, 0.15 percent or 26.43 points down from its previous day's close at 17,224.36 points.

The BSE metal index was down 170.39 points, followed by auto index, down 75.45 points, and banking index, down 73.81 points.

The index had touched an intra-day low of 17,026.97.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange closed 0.25 percent down at 5,214.50 points.

The main Sensex losers were Sterlite Inds, down 2.62 percent at Rs.102.05; Tata Steel, down 2.20 percent at Rs.396.95; Hindalco Inds, down 2.06 percent at Rs.116.70; ICICI Bank, down 1.98 percent at Rs.939.70; and Jindal Steel, down 1.91 percent at Rs.396.45.

The major Sensex gainers were Wipro, up 2.04 percent at Rs.347; NTPC, up 1.84 percent at Rs.166.30; Dr Reddy's Lab, up 1.62 percent at Rs.1,672.05; ONGC, up 1.34 percent at Rs.280.45; and Gail India, up 1.29 percent at Rs.356.75.

Other Asian markets closed mixed. Japan's Nikkei closed 1.13 percent down, while the Shanghai composite index ended 1.02 percent up. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.12 percent.

At closing bell here, European markets were trading in green after Thursday's sell-off. France's CAC was up 2.32 percent while Germany's DAX and Britain's FTSE 100 were trading higher, up 2.03 and 1.34 percent, respectively.