Sensex Closes Marginally Higher, Nifty At 10,769; Tata Motors Falls Over 4%

India's stock market indices closed Tuesday's session marginally higher. The S&P BSE Sensex rose 19.69 points, or 0.06 per cent, to close at 35,490.04. The NSE's Nifty50 index rose 6.70 points or 0.06 per cent and settled at 10,769.15. However, in the early trade today, domestic equity indices opened on lower note but pared losses in late morning trade. Investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of expiry of June series derivatives contracts on Thursday.  Buying in FMCG, telecom, IT, consumer durables and metal sectors amid weak Asian cues helped markets today. 

Major gainers in the Sensex pack were Coal India, Maruti, Bharti Airtel, TCS, Asian Paints and HDFC, rising between 1.31 per cent to 2.30 per cent. Top laggards on BSE index were Tata Motors, Power Grid, Reliance, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra and Hero Moto Corp, ending with losses of between 0.51 per cent to 4.31 per cent.

Grasim, Coal India, Ultracemco, Hindalco and Asian Paints (rising between 2.02 per cent to 2.93 per cent) were leading the pack of Nifty gainers. While main losers on the index were Tata Motors, reliance, Powergrid, Cipla and Tata Steel, ending with losses between 1.65 per cent to 4.44 per cent.

"Stock markets closed on flat note today, despite negative overnight trends, with Europe and US markets down between 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent. There is some nervousness as participants await clarity on tariffs and sanctions", said Viral Berawala, CIO, Essel Mutual Fund.

Tata Motors Ltd was the top percentage loser on both the indexes, dropping over 4 per cent to hit its lowest since February 2016, with a further downside seen on charts. Analysts say that concerns relating to the automaker's higher-than-expected capex for its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover hurt the investor sentiment.

Nifty FMCG index gained over 1 per cent and was on track to post gains for a second session in ten.

Varroc Engineering IPO opened on Tuesday. The Varroc Engineering IPO was subscribed upto 32 percent by the market closing hours.

Investors remained cautious on escalating trade tensions between the US and other leading economies, including the EU, China and India. Selling was witnessed in energy, industrials, healthcare and power stocks. 

Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 198.68 crore on net basis, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold equities to the tune of Rs 86.22 crore on Monday, provisional data showed. Overseas, Asian markets fell as investors continued to worry about global trade relations. (With Agencies inputs)