Sensex dips by 15 points

Brokers said pivotals lost initial gains and some even registered modest falls due to late selling pressure from operators in a bid to square up positions on the last day of the current settlement. Operators were not willing to carry forward their long positions in the prevailing war-like situation on the Indo-Pak border and booked profits at higher levels. Marketmen said there was buying in select counters by the foreign funds in the first part of the session. However, these gains evaporated due to profit-booking at the fag end. FIIs bought Tisco, Grasim and Indian Rayon counters and sold software stocks like Pentafour and Satyam Computers.

Of the total 149 specified scrips, 97 registered losses while 49 showed gains and three remained steady. SBI continued to be the most active scrip with a turnover of Rs 113.75 of the total volume of business of Rs 1351.92 crore. SBI declined by Rs 4.55 to Rs 257.25 on profit-taking.

On the National Stock Exchange NSE in lacklustre trading, share prices turned weak in the absence of any worthwhile buying and pivotals closed with marginal losses. Samp;P CNX Nifty opened firm at 1177.15 and later, declined to 1172.20 and closed at 1175.15, showing a fresh fall of 1.20 over the last close of 1176.35.