Bourses unimpressed, close lower on Budget day

New Delhi, February 1

The Interim Budget failed to galvanise the stock markets which ended lower on Thursday as many indices ended the session on a weak note.

The BSE Sensex ended 106.81 points lower at 71,645.30 points and the NSE Nifty also moved in tandem, ending at 21,697.45 points.

Notable exceptions to the weak trend were shares of bank and financial services companies, which underwent a hammering in previous trading sessions. Among the stock that fell during the day were those of Grasim, L&T, Ultratech Cement, Dr Reddy’s and JSW Steel. Apart from banks, some other Nifty gainers were Maruti Suzuki, Power Grid, Cipla, SBI Life and Eicher Motors.

Rail stocks slide

Stocks of companies related to the railways gave up initial gains and ended lower on Thursday after the presentation of the Interim Budget. Shares of IRCON International declined 3.69 per cent, Rail Vikas Nigam went lower by 3.49%, Indian Railway Finance Corporation fell by 2.85% and Jupiter Wagons skidded 1.93% on the BSE. PTI