Indian equities markets, which opened positively at 8,473.25 on Wednesday, slipped back into the red around noon with a key index 0.11% down its previous closing figure.

The stock markets were trading in a listless mode with buying and selling seen across selective stocks.  

At 1:00 p.m., the 30-share index Sensex (BSE) stood at 8,417 points, 9.58 points lower than its previous close.

Similarly, the S&P CNX Nifty index of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) lost 14.95 points at 2,636.95.

The BSE midcap index was 0.18% lower, while the BSE smallcap index was down 0.33%.

“Volatility can be the order of the day; an intra-day downside could come in below the 2622 level while significant support at lower levels (2520) – would limit the downside. The outlook has turned negative again while resistance comes in at the 3040+ level and support comes in at the 2497 level,” said Asit C Mehta report.

Of the 13 sectoral indices on BSE, the index for metal, IT and realty stocks topped the list with maximum gains.

Among the sectoral indices BSE Metal gained 2.55%, Realty increased 0.84% and IT was up by 0.84%.

The major losers were Consumer Durables (-1.68%), Bankex (-1.02%) and Power (-0.93%).

The overall market breadth was negative with 904 stocks posted gains, 1,252 went down while 114 remained unchanged.

The biggest gainers’ on the 30-share index were Sterlite Industries (India) (3.72%), Reliance Energy (3.40%), Hindalco Industries (3.22%) and Tata Consultancy Services (3%).

On the other hand, the losers list included Housing Development Finance Corporation (3.87%), Bharat Heavy Electricals (2.67%), ICICI Bank (2.60%), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (0.99%), State Bank Of India (0.90%), and NTPC (0.42%).

In other Asian markets, a key Japanese index, the Nikkei of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, marked its closure at 7,290.96, up 0.85% as against its last close.

US stocks on Tuesday continued falling to their lowest levels in over a decade after govt representatives said that additional funds would be required before the US financial segment could recover.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 37.27 points, or 0.55 per cent, to 6,726.02.

The broader Standard and Poor's 500 Index fell 4.49 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 696.33, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 1.84 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 1,321.01.