Indian stock indices end flat after early gains led by rate cut

Key benchmarks Sensex and Nifty witnessed a volatile session on Thursday but most of the shares ended little changed after the central bank cut interest rates in a bid to boost the slowing economy. At the closing bell, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 4.41 points at 36,971 while the Nifty 50 closed 6.95 points lower at 11,069.

Sun Pharma closed 4.4 higher at Rs 435. Bajaj Auto moved up 3.2 per cent to close at Rs 2,860. However, JSW Steel, Tech Mahindra, GAIL, Adani Ports and HDFC took a beating and closed in negative territory. Meanwhile, Asian stock markets closed on a mixed note as investors began to return from their Lunar New Year break.

(With inputs from agencies.)