Indian equities slip, investors cautious ahead of macro-data release

Mumbai, May 12 (IANS) Indian equity markets on Friday slipped as investors were cautious ahead of the release of major domestic macro-economic data.

The new series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data with the revised base year of 2011-12 are slated to be released later in the evening.

Besides, sentiments were hampered by negative global cues and heavy selling pressure in banking, consumer durables and healthcare stocks.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) fell by 21.50 points or 0.23 per cent to provisionally close at 9,400.90 points.

The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 30,285.61 points, provisionally closed at 30,188.15 points (at 3.30 p.m.) -- down 62.83 points or 0.21 per cent from its previous close at 30,250.98 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 30,299.74 points and a low of 30,111.45 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was bearish, with 1,783 declines and 998 advances.

On Thursday, the key Indian indices had surged to new highs, with the NSE Nifty recording a new closing high of 9,422.40 points and the Sensex of 30,250.98 points.

The benchmark indices also touched record intra-day highs, as well as new 52-week highs. The Nifty scaled a new intra-day high of 9,450.65 points and the BSE Sensex of 30,366.43 points.