The week gone by behaved on predicted and expected lines. It ended positively on Monday and would have been weak at the end had it not been for a strong showing on Thursday. The BSE SENSEX closed at 18,682.31 points with a miniscule gain of 7.13 points or 0.04 per cent. The NSENIFTY gained 8.20 points or 0.14 per cent to close at 5,684.25 points. The broader indices like the BSE500, BSE200 and BSE100 were mixed, with the BSE500 closing positive with gains of 0.01 per cent. The other two lost 0.05 per cent and 0.04 per cent. The BSEMIDCAP index lost 0.08 per cent while the BSESMALLCAP gained a respectable 0.84 per cent.

Illustration/Amit Bandre