Sensex down 29 pts on profit-taking

Profit-booking from operators on the back of disappointing third quarter results from some corporates pulled down the BSE benchmark Sensex by another 29 points for the second consecutive day to end at 19,468.15.

Shares of refinery, IT, Healthcare and Teck declined on heavy selling pressure while auto, banking and FMCG firmed up on some buying enquiries.

Meanwhile, the Citigroup said in a research note that India's current account deficit for financial year 2013 is likely to rise to $87.9 billion or 4.7 per cent of GDP as against $76 billion or 4 per cent of the gross domestic product estimated earlier.

The BSE benchmark Sensex resumed lower at 19,449.83 and hovered in a range of 19,512.89 and 19,381.82 before ending at 19,468.15, showing a loss of 29.03 points or 0.15 per cent.

The NSE 50-share Nifty also eased by 9.55 points or 0.16 per cent to finish at 5,887.40.

Asian stocks ended mixed as key benchmark indices in Hong Kong, and South Korea moved up by 0.08 pct to 0.13 pct while indices in Japan and Singapore declined by 0.22 pct to 1.18 pct.

European markets were also trading narrowly mixed in their morning trade as investors opted to stay on the sidelines ahead of the G-20 meeting in Moscow. Key indices in London and Germany eased by 0.18  per cent while France's CAC was up by 0.16 per cent.