Indian equity benchmark -- Nifty ended flat with positive bias on Thursday amid lowered crude oil prices due to ease in geopolitical tensions in West Asia after Iran said it had reached an agreement with Oman on a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Index made a slightly positive start as traders took some support with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra’s statement that the rural economy and the agriculture sector have become more resilient over the years, supported by the growth of allied activities, expanded irrigation, greater farm mechanisation, and improved crop varieties. Soon, index continued its range bound trade with modest gains till the end of the session, supported by buying in index heavyweight stocks like Reliance Industries and State Bank of India. Finally, Nifty ended below 24650 mark.
Traders were seen piling up positions in PSU Bank, Chemicals and Oil & Gas stocks, while selling was witnessed in Realty, Media and Auto. The top gainers from the F&O segment were Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Hindustan Aeronautics and Kalyan Jewellers India. On the other hand, the top losers were Blue Star, Power Grid Corporation of India and Lodha Developers. In the index option segment, maximum OI continues to be seen in the 23900 - 24100 calls and 23900 - 24100 puts indicating this is the trading range expectation.
