The markets continued to remain very choppy and closed virtually unchanged. They gained on three of the five days of trading, and yet, were unchanged. The BSE SENSEX lost 33.26 points or 0.12 per cent to close at 27,803.24 points. NIFTY lost 0.20 points to close at 8,541.20 points. The broader indices like the BSE100, BSE200 and BSE500 gained 0.26 per cent, 0.43 per cent and 0.52 per cent respectively. BSEMIDCAP was up 1.25 per cent and BSESMALLCAP up 1.07 per cent.

Planting paddy in a terrace field near Shillong. A good monsoon means bright prospects for the economy. Pic/AFP