Sensex closes flat (Roundup)

Mumbai, June 26 (IANS) A benchmark index for Indian equities markets Tuesday closed flat amid choppy trade ahead of the expiry of the June Futures and & Options series Thursday.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,873.09 points in the morning, closed at 16,906.58 points, up 0.14 percent or just 24.42 points from its previous close of 16,882.16 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 16,946.66 points and a low of 16,815.87 intra-day.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange closed 0.12 percent higher at 5,120.80 points.

World markets are waiting for the European Union summit June 28-29 that would deliberate on the eurozone debt crisis. After Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain, Cyprus sought a bailout Monday.

The BSE midcap index rose 21.63 points while the smallcap index gained 1.33 points.

BSE oil and gas index was up 94.97 points, power index was up 16.76 points, PSU index was up 49.32 points.

The major Sensex gainers were Gail India, up 2.74 percent at Rs.352.85; Tata Power, up 1.70 percent at Rs.95.50; ONGC, up 1.52 percent at Rs.277.10; TCS, up 1.40 at Rs.1,232.65; and Mahindra and Mahindra, up 1.36 percent at Rs.698.70.

The main losers were Hindustan Unilever, down 2.02 percent at Rs.451.05; Sterlite Inds, down 1.21 percent at Rs.97.95; ITC, down 1.12 percent at Rs.247.25; Infosys, down 1.05 percent at Rs.2,442.50; and Tata Steel, down 1 percent at Rs.410.40.

At closing bell here, Germany's DAX and Britain's FTSE 100 were trading 0.08 percent higher each respectively, while France's CAC was down 0.03 percent.

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