Stock markets end flat in highly volatile trade

Market Performance - Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed almost unchanged in a highly volatile trade as investors remained cautious ahead of key macroeconomic data announcements [1] - The 30-share BSE Sensex slipped by 13.71 points or 0.02 percent to settle at 85,706.67, while the 50-share NSE Nifty skidded 12.60 points or 0.05 percent to 26,202.95 [2][3] - During the trading session, Sensex hit a high of 85,969.89 and a low of 85,577.82, gyrating 392.07 points [3] Investor Activity - Fresh foreign fund outflows and muted global market trends contributed to the rangebound nature of the stock markets [3] - Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,255.20 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 3,940.87 crore [5] Sector Performance - Among Sensex firms, Power Grid, Eternal, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, and Infosys were the biggest laggards [4] - Major gainers included Mahindra & Mahindra, Sun Pharma, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and State Bank of India [4] Global Market Trends - In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index settled lower, while Japan's Nikkei 225 index and Shanghai's SSE Composite index ended in positive territory [4] - Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, increased by 0.25 percent to $63.50 per barrel [5]