The BSE Sensex slipped from record highs to end marginally lower on Wednesday while the Nifty edged up to a fresh closing record amid profit-booking in financial stocks and muted global cues.
After touching a low of 44,169.97 during the session, the 30-share Sensex pared most losses to finish at 44,618.04, down 37.40 points or 0.08 per cent.
The broader NSE Nifty edged higher by 4.70 points or 0.04 per cent to end at its fresh closing record of 13,113.75.
Banking and finance stocks bore the brunt of profit selling ahead of the RBI policy announcement this week. Kotak Bank was the top loser among Sensex stocks, dropping by 3.28 per cent.
HDFC Bank declined by 1.86 per cent, HDFC by 1.28 per cent and ICICI Bank by 0.99 per cent. SBI fell 0.5 per cent while Bajaj Finance shed 0.72 per cent.
Larsen & Toubro dropped 0.16 per cent. On the other hand, ONGC rose the most by 4.11 per cent, followed by Asian Paints (3.74 per cent) and Titan (3.48 per cent). Auto stocks gained after the companies reported sales growth in the domestic market in November, aided by robust offtake amid the festival season.