India stock benchmarks flat on consolidation after October rally
India’s equity benchmarks traded flat on Monday with analysts expecting consolidation after strong gains last month, while stock-specific reactions to quarterly earnings supported broader market activity. The Nifty 50 rose 0.1% to 25,747.45, while the BSE Sensexadded 0.02% to 83,956.75 as of 9:56 a.m. IST. Fourteen of the 16 major sectors logged gains. The small-caps and mid-caps rose 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively. The 50-stock index gained 4.5% in October - its best performance since March. On the day, state-owned lenders rose 1.5% to top sectoral gains while private banks and IT fell about 0.4% each. “While PSU banks climb on reports of a potential hike in foreign investment limits, investors are taking some chips off the table after the sustained rally,” said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments. There will be further consolidation near current levels as investors await clarity on the global trade front, said two analysts. Among individual stocks, non-bank lender Shriram Finance rose 5.6% after posting a rise in quarterly profit.