Sensex dips 20 points, Nifty holds 15,100

Stock market indices pared day's losses to end Wednesday's volatile session marginally lower. 

The S&P BSE Sensex closed 20 points lower at 51,309, after swinging 666.64 points intra-day. The broader markets however closed with decent gains. The BSE midcap index rose 0.7% while smallcap 0.4%.

NSE's Nifty50, on the other hand, closed 3 points, or 0.02 per cent, lower at 15,106.5 levels with 22 of the 50 constituents ending the day in the red.

Indian markets are up 11% so far this month on optimism from a growth-focused Budget and an upbeat outlook for companies, but the rally has been losing steam over two sessions.

Global markets

World shares rose to new all-time highs and European indexes strengthened, with market sentiment generally upbeat. In Europe, The STOXX 600 index rose 0.3 per cent, while German’s DAX rose 0.1 per cent.

Earlier in Asia, Japan's Nikkei added 0.2 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.2 per cent, and South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.5 per cent.

(With inputs from Reuters)