Indian stocks fall; RBI monetary policy eyed

Indian stocks fell on Tuesday amidst caution as the Reserve Bank of India began its two-day policy meeting.

sensex
A man looks at a screen across a road displaying the Sensex on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India. REUTERS

Indian stocks fell on Tuesday amidst caution as the Reserve Bank of India began its two-day policy meeting.

The central bank is widely expected to keep rates on hold following the forthcoming monetary policy committee meeting on December 6.

The S&P BSE Sensex dropped 0.20 percent at 32,802 while the broader NSE Nifty declined 0.09 percent to 10,118.

Among the other top losers, Wipro fell 2.6 percent, Tata Steel dropped 1.8 percent, ONGC declined 1.4 percent while Hero MotoCorp shed 2.4 percent.

Bharat Forge gained 3.3 percent after its North America Class 8 trucks sales rose 68 percent year-on-year at 32,387 units in November.

Just Dial advanced 4 percent after HDFC Mutual Fund bought 9 lakh shares, or 1.3 percent stake, in the company at Rs500 a share.

Market breadth was in the favour of gainers, with about 2 stocks advancing to every 1 stock that declined.

Stocks in Asia traded mixed after gains spurred by the passage of the U.S. tax cuts in the Senate lifted equities to fresh highs.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan were little changed, with a fall in semi-conductor shares offset by gains in telecom and financial shares.

Investors' attention will turn this week to central bank decision in India among others. Also in focus will be Brexit talks as they progress toward a crucial deadline.

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