The Indian stock markets closed on a mixed note today after a highly volatile session. The BSE Sensex rose slightly by 36.45 points, or 0.05 percent, to end at 77,337.59, while the NSE Nifty dropped by 41.90 points, or 0.18 percent, to settle at 23,516.

Initially bolstered by positive global cues, both indices opened at fresh record highs. However, the gains were short-lived as the markets erased them in the early hours and fluctuated between gains and losses throughout the session, finally ending with marginal changes.

In the Nifty, the top performers were predominantly banking stocks, with HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank leading the gains. Conversely, the main laggards included Titan Company, Maruti Suzuki, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Hindalco Industries, and Bharti Airtel.

Sector-wise, the banking sector saw a notable increase of 2 percent, supported by the strong performance of key banks. The Information Technology (IT) sector also posted a modest gain of 0.4 percent. However, other sectors did not fare as well. The auto, capital goods, metal, oil & gas, power, and realty sectors all declined between 1 to 3 percent.

The broader market mirrored the mixed sentiment, with the BSE Midcap index falling by 1 percent and the Smallcap index shedding 0.6 percent.

Despite the overall market volatility, more than 300 stocks reached their 52-week highs on the BSE. This notable list included Axis Bank, Cipla, Jindal Steel, Coromandel International, Oracle Financial Services, Whirlpool of India, GMR Airports, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Federal Bank, Cummins India, Exide Industries, and UNO Minda.

Investors are keenly watching the markets, navigating through the dynamic landscape shaped by both global and domestic factors. The upcoming sessions will be critical in determining the future trajectory of the indices.