The BSE Sensex dipped 0.05% to settle at 85,524.84, while the NSE Nifty edged up 0.02% to 26,177.15, extending its modest winning streak to three sessions.
Seventeen of the 30 Sensex components finished lower, led by Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports, Sun Pharma, Tech Mahindra, TCS, and ICICI Bank.
Sectoral performance remained mixed, with IT under pressure amid muted cues ahead of the earnings season. Metals and select financials provided support.
Broader markets showed resilience: small-caps rose 0.4%, while mid-caps closed flat.
Asian peers advanced modestly. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed early gains to end 0.1% lower at 25,762.64. Shanghai Composite inched up 0.1% to 3,920.16, South Korea's Kospi gained 0.3% to 4,117.15, and Taiwan's Taiex rose 0.6%.
Wall Street's positive close on Monday—Dow up 0.47%, Nasdaq 0.52%, S&P 500 0.64%—offered limited lift amid year-end caution.
Institutional flows showed domestic strength: on December 22, foreign investors sold ₹457 crore, while DIIs bought ₹4,058 crore. Year-to-date through December 22, FIIs offloaded ₹20,314 crore against DII inflows of ₹56,090 crore.
Monday's session had seen benchmarks rally, with Sensex jumping 638 points to 85,567 and Nifty adding 206 to 26,172.
With Christmas on December 25, volumes are expected to stay subdued, leaving room for a potential Santa Claus rally if global sentiment holds.
.jpg)
