Markets end on a flat note amid volatility; auto stocks outperform

Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty settled on a flat note on Monday amid volatility. After touching its lifetime intra-day high of 60,412.32, Sensex ended 29.41 points or 0.05% higher at its all-time closing peak of 60,077.88. Similarly, the NSE Nifty added 1.90 points or 0.01% to 17,855.10. Maruti Suzuki, rising over 6%, was the top Sensex gainer followed by M&M, Bajaj Auto, NTPC, Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank. HCL Tech, Tch Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv and Infosys were among the laggards. Most sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the green. Auto stocks witnessed strong rebound with Nifty Auto closing closing 3.2% higher followed by Nifty Realty, up 3%. On the other hand, Nifty IT, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Pharma were in the red. In Asia, stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Seoul ended higher, while Shanghai and Tokyo settled lower.