Sensex and Nifty Flat as Geopolitical Risks and Oil Prices Weigh

Sensex and Nifty ended largely unchanged Thursday, with profit-taking in blue chips like HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries pulling back gains from IT stocks. The BSE Sensex added 1.44 points to 77,186.87, after rising as much as 394 points intraday. The NSE Nifty lost 5.75 points to 24,072.75.

Brent crude slipped 0.39% to $84.62 a barrel. Asian markets were mixed: South Korea's Kospi fell 6.37%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose. "Investors remained cautious amid geopolitical uncertainties and fluctuating oil prices," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments.

Foreign institutional investors sold Rs 735.83 crore in equities on Wednesday, exchange data showed.