Sensex, Nifty End Marginally Lower After Volatile Session

Indian shares fluctuated before finishing on a flat note Wednesday.

A cautious undertone prevailed as first round of talks between the U.S. and Russia over potential peace deal in Ukraine ended with no clear path and U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to impose 25 percent tariffs on autos, pharmaceuticals, and chips, aiming to boost U.S. manufacturing and competitiveness.

Rising oil prices also kept investors on edge. Oil prices traded higher for a third day running, supported by prospects of lessened supply following reports of Ukraine’s attack on a Russian oil station and cold weather in the U.S.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex swung between gains and losses before ending the session down 28.21 points, or 0.04 percent, at 75,939.18.

The broader NSE Nifty index slid 12.40 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 22,932.90.

The BSE mid-cap and small-cap indexes rallied 1.3 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.

The market breadth was positive, with 2,806 shares rising on the BSE while 1,154 shares declined, and 114 shares ended unchanged.

Adani Enterprises, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, TCS and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories all fell around 2 percent while Larsen & Toubro, Axis Bank, Eicher Motors, Hindalco and BEL jumped 2-3 percent.

RVNL surged nearly 12 percent after it won a Rs. 554.47 crore contract from Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (K-RIDE) for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP).

Vedanta added 1.6 percent after it received 83 percent creditor approval for its proposed demerger.