Sensex signs off 2012 with 26% rise, ends flat on last day

Moneycontrol Bureau

Equity benchmarks closed the last trading day of the year 2012 on a quiet note. The Nifty had shut shop 3.25 points or 0.06% lower at 5905.10 level and the Sensex closed down 18.13 points or 0.09% at 19426.71. Experts say investors are looking at a stable 2013. The year 2012 proved lucrative to the stock market with Sensex appreciating 26 percent or 4000 points.
The market had opened on a slight negative note at 5901 and stuck to a narrow trading range of 5895-5915 throughout the day. Volumes too remained low at Rs 79000 crore. Top gainers on the Sensex were GAIL, Tata Power, Hindalco and Wipro; while top losers included names like TCS and ITC and Cipla. Auto sector stocks like M&M and Tata Motors rose after a few banks resorted to rate cuts, raising hopes that loans will get cheaper. However, profit booking was witnessed in Bajaj Auto and Maruti. 
Among the banking stocks, PNB was the top performer registering 3.3% gains. SBI, HDFC Bank, BoB also made upmoves, albeit marginal. Also Read - SCORECARD 2012: L&T, HCL Tech defy sector weakness
Among the major sectoral indices, Realty sector was the top performer gaining 0.88%, followed by PSU sector, Consumer Durables and Power. Capital Goods and FMCG were the top losers. In the broader markets, Gati, South Indian Bank and IndiaBulls had a good run while Suzlon, Kingfisher, Rama Newsprint and Tulip Tele had a bad end to the year.