Benchmark indices ended the day lower in trade, tracking a sharp fall in the US markets.

Most of the global markets maintained a steady trend. A sharp fall in the US markets, following the US Fed statement, that left investors worried on growth rates.

The Sensex ended the day lower by 22 points, while the Nifty dropped 13 points in trade. Leading the set of gainers were FMCG majors, ITC and Hindustan Unilever. Mahindra and Mahindra was the top gainer from the Nifty space.

Shares in Larsen and Toubro continued to fall and was the top loser from the Sensex. The stock is now very closing to breaching a new 52-week low.

ICICI Bank ended the day soft ahead of its results to be declared later today. The results are to be announced after market hours.

HDFC was one of the heavyweight stocks that lost ground with BofA Merrill Lynch cutting target on the stock, following its quarterly earnings.

Oil and gas exploration stocks saw some buying support after crude oil prices stabilized. ONGC and Oil India both ended the day higher.

Meanwhile, markets across Europe were trading higher after opening the day in the red. The German DAX, the French CAC and the UK's FTSE were all higher.

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