India's benchmark indexes Sensex and the Nifty ended largely unchanged on Friday, with a firm trend across Europe limiting the downside. With pressure mounting on the government to consider a partial rollback of a petrol price hike, investors awaited to see if the government musters the courage to increase diesel and LPG prices for improving fiscal health and to combat the deteriorating economic situation.
Meanwhile, traders closely watched the rupee as it drifted lower initially before recovering to post a second session of gains on talk of RBI intervening frequently in the rupee forward markets. A day after indicating more interventions to curb the currency volatility, RBI governor D Subbarao today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and is believed to have discussed the possibility of selling dollars directly to oil companies to ease pressure on the rupee.
The benchmark 30-share Sensex traded on both sides of the unchanged line before ending down 4 points or 0.03 percent at 16,218, with only 13 of its components retreating. HDFC, Hindustan Unilever, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzki and Jindal Steel paced the decliners, with losses between 1 percent and 3 percent, while Gail India led the gainers, climbing 3.4 percent after signing a gas sale & purchase agreement with Turkmenistan.
Metal stocks like Coal India, Hindalco, Sterlite and Tata Steel rose 1-2 percent, automakers Tata Motors and Hero MotoCorp added about a percent each, property developer DLF gained 1.9 percent and state-run lender SBI ended 1.7 percent higher.
The broader Nifty index eased 1 point or 0.02 percent to 4,920, while the BSE mid-cap and small-cap indexes outperformed, adding about half a percent each.
On the global front, other Asian markets rebounded from early losses to finish on a mixed note and European markets traded firm in early trading after Italy's technocratic PM said Germany can be persuaded on euro-area bonds.
More EU states are in favor of eurobonds and Italy can help Germany accept the proposal for common sovereign bonds for the greater common good, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said, helping investors shrug off concerns over Greece, albeit temporarily.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.