Domestic equity indices closed Wednesday trade with losses as shares of auto, bank, capital goods and metal came under selling pressure, pulling the market down. Investors also remained cautious ahead of the outcome of the US Federal Reserve meeting, resulting in a lacklustre trade.
While the 30-share index closed 0.36 percent lower at 26,602.84, the 50-share index Nifty shed almost 40 points to close at 8,182.45. Market breadth was negative with 1,733 declines and 910 advances. While shares of auto, metal, bank and capital goods came under selling pressure, IT shares bucked the trend and closed in the green.
Coal India lost the most with its shares down more than 4 percent to close at Rs 292. The company reported 77.4 percent fall in its net profit at Rs 600 crore during the September quarter from Rs 2,654 crore in the corresponding period last year, which disappointed the street. Apart from Coal India, shares of Bosch, Eicher Motors, Aurobindo Pharma and Bharti Airtel also lost in Wednesday's trade.
Among winners, Axis Bank gained the most with its shares closing 3.15 percent higher at Rs 467.20 on Wednesday. Market heavyweights Reliance and Infosys also gained apart from HCL Tech, Tata Power and Asian Paints.
Meanwhile, a dip in Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation for November 2016 owing to ongoing cash crunch also weighed on investors' sentiments. S&P's report on demonetisation impacting rural consumption further dampened the mood.
On the global front, performances of Asian indices were mixed as investors awaited the outcome of US Federal Reserve meeting. While China's Shanghai Composite and Taiwan Index were trading in the red, Japan's Nikkei and Hong Kong's Hang Seng were in the green on Wednesday. Notably, US stocks rallied to new all-time highs on Tuesday as optimism over US President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming fiscal policies continued to drive markets.
After a flat opening, the Indian rupee rose 0.03 percent to close at 67.55 against the US dollar on Wednesday. Among commodities, oil prices fell on rising inventories in the international market.
