Indian benchmark equity indices closed virtually flat on Tuesday following a muted, range-bound trading session. The NSE Nifty 50 ended slightly lower by -3.45 points (-0.02%) at 22,749.75, while the BSE Sensex slipped -8.08 points (-0.01%) to settle at 73,598.67. Broad market sentiment reflected consolidation as market participants adopted a wait-and-watch stance ahead of key global macroeconomic data and ongoing quarterly corporate earnings.
Sectorally, Nifty IT and Healthcare stocks edged higher, offering support to the headline indices, while Metal and FMCG counters saw mild profit-booking. Among individual movers, ICICI Bank, Infosys, and Sun Pharma led the gains, whereas Reliance Industries and Tata Steel weighed on the indices. Macroeconomic cues remained steady; Brent crude oil hovered near $82 per barrel, and the Indian Rupee traded in a narrow range against the US Dollar. Institutional activity showed modest foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows offset by persistent domestic institutional investor (DII) buying, keeping market downside limited.