Livemint.com

New Delhi: The markets recovered most of its intra-day losses on weak global cues and ended flat with the BSE benchmark index ending down 66 points at 14,499 levels.

The Sensex slipped to a low of 14,281 levels in intra-day deals. Similarly, the wider-based Nifty shed 11 points to end at 4,349 levels.

In other Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei stock average shed 1.8% in its biggest one-day percentage loss in nearly two weeks to end at 12,834 levels. The broader Topix lost 1.9% to 1,230 levels.

Back home, Maruti Suzuki lost 2.2% or Rs14 after the company posted a drop of over 9% in its August 2008 sales.

Bharti Airtel, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Tata Steel, Infosys Technologies, Reliance Infra, Hindustan Unilever, Hindalco, Mahindra and Mahindra, Jaiprakash Associates and NTPC also ended weak.

Most banking scrips recovered lost ground by close with Canara Bank firming up 2.5% by close. HDFC Bank, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Yes Bank, Union Bank of India and Bank of India also closed in positive turf.

Essar Oil, ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation, Aban Offshore, GAIL India, Reliance Industries and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation were the key gainers in the oil and gas pack.