New Delhi, 23 December (H.S.): Indian equity benchmarks closed nearly flat on Tuesday after two sessions of gains, as intraday volatility led to a pause in the rally. The Sensex shed 42.63 points, or 0.05%, to settle at 85,524.84, while the Nifty eked out a marginal gain.During the session, the BSE Sensex fluctuated between a high of 85,704.93 and a low of 85,342.99 before ending lower.

The NSE Nifty rose marginally by 4.75 points, or 0.018%, to close at 26,177.15.Profit-taking in information technology and pharmaceutical stocks dragged the markets down. Of the 30 Sensex constituents, 17 ended in the red, with notable declines in Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and Bharti Airtel of up to 1.5%.

Other major losers included Adani Ports, Sun Pharma, Eternal, Axis Bank, and Maruti.Gainers in the Sensex pack comprised ITC, UltraTech Cement, Tata Steel, and HDFC Bank, each rising around 1%. On the Nifty, 26 of the 50 stocks closed lower, with declines observed in IT, pharma, and banking sectors, while FMCG, media, and metals ended higher.

Asian markets showed mixed trends: South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei, and China's Shanghai Composite closed positively, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell. European markets traded mixed in afternoon deals.

Notably, the Sensex had surged 638.12 points, or 0.75%, to close at 85,567.48 on Monday, with the Nifty gaining 206 points, or 0.79%, to end at 26,172.40.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar