Sensex slips into red after quiet start

Mumbai -  Having started trade on a dull note, a benchmark index for Indian equities markets Friday slipped into the red amid profit booking in blue chips like Infosys and ICICI Bank.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 17,817.59 points, was ruling at 17,781.22 points, 49.53 points or 0.28 percent down from its previous close at 17,830.75  points.

The 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was also trading subdued at 5,400.55 points, down 11.8 points or 0.22 percent from its previous close.

Broader markets were also lacklustre with the BSE 500 index trading flat. However, the BSE midcap index was up 0.32 percent while the BSE smallcap index gained 0.58 percent.

As per the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE, consumer durables, auto and PSU stocks were on the rise, while IT and realty scrips saw some selling.

Prominent gainers on the 30-scrip Sensex included Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Bharti Airtel and ONGC, while among losers were Infosys, ICICI Bank, RIL, Sterlite and Maruti Suzuki.

The market breadth was still positive with 1,480 stocks advancing, 1,072 on the decline and 114 unchanged.

Asian markets were ruling dull as traders grew nervous after Euro zone finance chiefs withheld a bailout package for Greece, increasing the chances of a debt default by the financially  troubled country.

The Japanese Nikkei slipped 0.49 percent to rule at 8,957.94 points, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was trading 1.03 percent lower at 20,794.6 points.

The Chinese Shanghai Composite index, however, nudged up 0.22 percent at 2,354.72 points.