Sensex ends flat; tech stocks surge

Mumbai: The BSE Sensex slipped 12 points to end at 34,415.58 on Friday as participants turned cautious after minutes of the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting indicated the Reserve Bank may shift to a hawkish stance in June.

However, IT stocks stole the show, with TCS emerging as the top performer in the Sensex pack, a day after the company reported a 4.4 per cent rise in March quarter net profit and guided towards a better show in fiscal 2019.

The 30-share Sensex, after moving between 34,311.29 and 34,487.33, finally settled 11.71 points, or 0.03 per cent, lower at 34,415.58. 

The broader NSE Nifty closed 1.25 points, or 0.01 per cent down at 10,564.05. Intra-day, it shuttled between 10,527.45 and 10,582.35. 

Both the key indices ended higher for the fourth straight week. The Sensex rose by 222.93 points, or 0.65 per cent while the NSE Nifty gained 83.45 points, or 0.80 per cent, during the period.