Closing Bell: Indices close the week on a losing note, Nifty holds 17150

Domestic equity bourses Sensex and Nifty finished the week on a lower note today, dragged by consumer durables and information technology shares. The domestic indices extended their fall to the third straight session.

A lack of directional cues sent headline indices in a tight range on Friday, with investors opting to stay sideways after recent gains. Overall, Asian markets were mixed despite gains in US shares overnight. A dip in oil prices was noticed, but the hike in fuel prices at home, a third time this week, hurt the market sentiment. Investors weighed their opinions in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has entered its second month. According to market experts, the 17,000-17,500 range for Nifty is likely to hold for the near term with a breakout seen in early April, triggered by a positive earnings season.

Here are some of the highlights from Friday's trading session:

• Future Enterprises tanks 5% after defaulting to banks

• Airtel prepays Rs 8,815 crore towards deferred liabilities for the 2015 spectrum

• The retail acceptance ratio of TCS buyback stands at 26%

Altogether, in a volatile trading session at the closing bell on March 25, Sensex was down 233.48 points or 0.41% at 57362.20, and the Nifty fell 69.80 points or 0.41% at 17153. On the market depth, around 1256 shares have advanced, 1958 shares declined, and 91 shares are unchanged.

On the sectoral front, auto, FMCG, capital goods, pharma and IT shed over 0.50% each while realty ended in the green.

In the Nifty 50 pack, Titan was the top Nifty loser as the stock lost 3.38% to Rs 2,530. Tech Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki India, Indian Oil Corp and Eicher Motors were also among the laggards.