The slip on Thursday showed up for the market after a four-day winning spell when the Sensex ended with losses and the Nifty settled below the crucial 9,900 as investors jostled to take money off the table. Concerns about foreign capital flying out remained. On the macro front, services sector activity expanded for the first time in three months in September -- but only slightly.
The Nikkei India Services PMI stood at 50.7 in September -- from 47.5 in August. The BSE 30-share index after a positive opening stretched to 31,772.41, but could not stay there for long buffeted by the selling pressure. It hit a low of 31,562.25 before settling lower by 79.68 points, or 0.25 per cent, at 31,592.03. The index, which rose 174 points on Wednesday after the Reserve Bank decided to hold rates in line with expectations, had gained 512 points in the previous four sessions.