

Stocks to buy: Raja Venkatraman's top picks for 24 December
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Indian stock markets: Domestic frontline indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, ended flat on Tuesday, 23 December, on profit booking at higher levels, even as mid and small-cap segments ended with modest gains amid mixed global cues. The Sensex ended with a minor loss of 43 points, or 0.05%, at 85,524.84, while the Nifty 50 closed 5 points, or 0.02%, up at 26,177.15.
The BSE Midcap index inched up by 0.07%, and the Smallcap index rose by 0.38%. Select heavyweights, such as Infosys, Bharti Airtel, and ICICI Bank, were among the top drags on the benchmarks, while HDFC Bank and ITC were among the key supports. On 23 December, Indian equity markets struggled to sustain early momentum and slipped into a rangebound trajectory, snapping their two-day winning streak.
The Nifty 50 closed marginally higher by 4.75 points or 0.02 percent at 26,177.15, while the Sensex edged lower by 42.64 points or 0.05 percent to settle at 85,524.84. Broader market performance was mixed, with the BSE Midcap index ending flat and the Smallcap index advancing 0.4 percent, reflecting selective buying interest. Among sectoral movers, Coal India, Shriram Finance, UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, and Power Grid Corporation emerged as notable gainers, lending support to the benchmark indices.
In contrast, heavyweights such as Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Cipla, Tech Mahindra, and Axis Bank dragged on sentiment, capping upside potential. The session highlighted cautious investor mood ahead of year-end, with traders preferring to book profits and maintain defensive positions amid limited directional cues. Outlook for Trading Markets take a pause and the inability of the trader to finalise on the trends is continuing
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