Mumbai, Dec 24 (NationPress) The domestic benchmark indices ended on a flat note on Tuesday in anticipation of Christmas, with noticeable selling pressure in the IT, financial services, pharma, PSU banks, metal, and realty sectors of Nifty.

At the close, Sensex settled at 78,472.87, down by 67.30 points or 0.09 percent, while Nifty finished at 23,727.65, dropping 25.80 points or 0.11 percent.

The Nifty Bank index ended at 51,233, down by 84.60 points or 0.16 percent. The Nifty Midcap 100 index closed at 57,057.90, after a decline of 35 points or 0.06 percent. Conversely, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index finished at 18,732.65, gaining 44.85 points or 0.24 percent.

Market analysts suggest that the domestic market wrapped up flat before the holiday, with metal and power stocks affecting performance negatively, while FMCG and auto sectors benefited from recent corrections.

"The short-term market direction depends on the results of Q3 and the upcoming Union budget, but there is a prevailing caution due to a strong dollar, elevated bond yields, and fears regarding rate cuts. The INR reaching an all-time low has further heightened this caution," they noted.

On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 1,980 shares closed in the green, while 2,016 shares ended in the red, with 96 shares remaining unchanged.

Sector-wise, all sectors ended lower except for Auto, FMCG, Private Banks, Consumption, and Healthcare.

Within the Sensex pack, top losers included PowerGrid, SBI, Infosys, Titan, IndusInd Bank, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, and Maruti. On the other hand, top gainers were Tata Motors, ITC, Nestle India, NTPC, TCS, Zomato, Axis Bank, M&M, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Sun Pharma.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 168.71 crore on December 23, while Domestic Institutional Investors bought equities worth Rs 2,227.68 crore on the same day.

The Indian rupee declined by 9 paise to an unprecedented low of 85.20 against the US dollar. On the previous day, the rupee closed at 85.11 per dollar.

The Indian stock market will remain closed on Wednesday in observance of Christmas, with the next trading session resuming on Thursday.