Key benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower for the fifth straight session on Tuesday in a volatile trade tracking losses in metal, banking and financial stocks.
Investors also remained concerned over persistent foreign fund outflows, traders said.
After jumping nearly 560 points during the session, the 30-share BSE index ended 37.70 points or 0.07 per cent lower at 57,107.52. Similarly, the NSE Nifty shed 8.90 points or 0.05 per cent to close at 17,007.40.
Tata Steel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 2.25 per cent, followed by Titan, SBI, Kotak Bank, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank and HDFC twins.
On the other hand, PowerGrid, IndusInd Bank, Dr Reddy's, HCL Tech and Nestle India were among the gainers.
"In search of a safer dollar and elevated bond yields, foreign investors are withdrawing from Indian equities, resulting in the decline of the domestic market. In contrast to the recent trend of sector performance, banks and autos are exhibiting negative bias, while IT and pharma are showcasing resilience.
"Crude prices are closing down, despite expectations that OPEC+ will take more action to cut production in the coming meeting, due to weakening global economy," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said.
Of the Sensex constituents, 18 stocks closed lower, while 12 were in the green.
The BSE Midcap index declined by 0.01 per cent, while the BSE Smallcap index fell 0.49 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, Metal, Capital Goods and Banking indices fell the most, while Oil & Gas, Energy, IT and Healthcare were the top gainers.
Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul closed in the positive territory.
Stock exchanges in Europe were trading on a mixed note in mid-session deals.
International oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 1.78 per cent to USD 85.56 per barrel.
"The benchmark indices witnessed volatile trading session, the nifty ended 9 points lower, while the Sensex was down by 37 points. Among Sectors, profit booking continued in Metal and Financial stocks, both indices registered profit booking at higher levels. Whereas, some buying was seen in selective Pharma and IT stocks.
"Technically, after a sharp fall, the index opened in the green but corrected sharply. After early morning selloff the index witnessed range-bound activity," Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research (Retail), Kotak Securities Ltd, said.
The benchmark Nifty remained range-bound ahead of the RBI policy meet. The index briefly slipped below 16,950 as it failed to sustain at the lower level leading to a close above 17000. On the lower end, bulls have managed to protect the 200 DMA on a closing basis, Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said.
The RBI Governor-headed Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is scheduled to start its three-day deliberations on Wednesday. The decision of the rate-setting panel would be announced on Friday (September 30).
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market, offloading shares worth Rs 5,101.30 crore on Monday, according to stock exchange data.
Rupee rises 9 paise to close at 81.58 against US dollar
The rupee consolidated in a narrow range and settled 9 paise higher at 81.58 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday as the American currency retreated from its elevated levels.
At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 81.45 against the greenback. It witnessed an intra-day high of 81.30 and a low of 81.64 during the session.
It finally ended at 81.58, up 9 paise from its previous close.
This is the first gain after four consequent sessions of losses for the rupee, during which it lost 193 paise against the American dollar.
On Monday, the rupee plunged 58 paise to close at an all-time low of 81.67 against the dollar.
"Rupee consolidated in a narrow range after falling to fresh lows in Monday's session. There are some reports suggesting that India's inclusion into the key government bond index could get pushed back to next year," Gaurang Somaiya, Forex & Bullion Analyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said.
On the domestic front, the focus will be on the RBI policy statement due on Friday.
"Expectation is that the central bank could raise rates by 50 bps and maintain a hawkish stance. The pound plunged further after the Finance Minister sent the currency and its government bonds into freefall," Somaiya said.
The focus will be on the durable goods and consumer confidence numbers that will be released from the US. We expect the USD/INR(Spot) to trade sideways and quote in the range of 81.20 and 81.80, Somaiya added.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.25 per cent to 113.81.
Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, advanced 1.36 per cent to USD 85.20 per barrel.
On the domestic equity market front, BSE Sensex ended 37.70 points or 0.07 per cent down at 57,107.52, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 8.90 points or 0.05 per cent to 17,007.40.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets as they offloaded shares worth Rs 5,101.30 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.