Sensex, Nifty trade flat as investors await CPI data; Auto, Healthcare stocks outperform

Market Overview - Markets traded in a narrow range with both benchmark indices showing marginal losses, as investors remained cautious ahead of the January CPI data release. The Sensex was down 156.23 points or 0.19% at 84,117.69, while the Nifty 50 slipped 26 points or 0.10% to 25,909.15 [1] Stock Performance - Eicher Motors led the gainers on the Nifty 50, rising 5.98% to ₹7,732.50, followed by Apollo Hospitals, which gained 4.55% to ₹7,547.50. Max Healthcare added 2.56% to ₹1,047.65, while State Bank of India climbed 2.36% to ₹1,171.10. Titan Manufacturing and Processing advanced 1.49% to ₹385 [2] - On the losing side, Coal India declined 2.38% to ₹420.70, making it the top loser on the index. Tata Consultancy Services dropped 1.90% to ₹2,928, while ONGC fell 1.45% to ₹268.20. ITC shed 1.37% to ₹317, and HCL Technologies declined 1.34% to ₹1,552 [3] Market Breadth - Market breadth remained negative, with 2,259 stocks declining against 1,701 advances on the BSE, while 200 stocks remained unchanged. A total of 95 stocks hit 52-week highs, while 54 touched 52-week lows. The session saw 159 stocks in the upper circuit and 116 in the lower circuit [4] Sector Performance - Sectoral indices showed mixed performance, with Nifty Next 50 up 0.07% at 69,894.10 and Nifty Financial Services gaining 0.07% to 28,206. Bank Nifty was marginally lower by 0.01% at 60,639.60. Broader markets underperformed, with Nifty Midcap 100 down 0.27% at 60,574.25 and Nifty Smallcap 100 declining 0.21% to 17,413.80 [5] Institutional Activity - Foreign institutional investors remained net buyers for the third consecutive session, purchasing ₹69 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors bought around ₹1,174 crore. Analysts noted the Nifty continues to hold above key moving averages with support near 25,800 and resistance around 26,000 [6]