Sensex, Nifty close slightly lower as healthcare, FMCG stocks fall

BSE Sensex rose for a second consecutive day on Friday and was on track to gain a small weekly gain as investors hunted for bargains after recent falls, with Reliance Industries leading gainers after the company commissioned a key hydrocarbon unit.

The barometer index, the BSE Sensex, fell 57 points or 0.19% at 29,365.30, while the Nifty50 index fell 17 points or 0.19% at 9,119. Slackness in European stocks dampened sentiment. BSE Small-cap and BSE mid-cap hit record highs, with the Nifty Smallcap-100 index rising 1.1%, while the Nifty Midcap-100 index up 0.6%.

Reliance, HDFC Bank and NTPC gained the most on BSE Sensex while ITC, Sun Pharma, Adani Ports and Cipla were the biggest losers on the index.

HDFC Bank’s shares hit record high of Rs 1,500, up 2.6% on BSE after the bank reported a better growth of 18% in standalone net profit at Rs 3,990 crore for the quarter ended March 2017.

Asian stocks finished mixed from the most recent closing prices. European markets are lower. The rupee was trading at Rs 64.57 against the US Dollar in the afternoon session, while Oil prices were trading at USD 50.67.