Mumbai, Jan 16 (UNI) The BSE Sensex ended nearly steady on Wednesday

at 36,321.29, up by just 2.96 points, amid positive cues from global

peers, particularly European stocks, as marketeers weigh their

options after British Prime Minister Theresa May's planned exit from

the European Union by March 29, called Brexit deal, was rejected by

the lawmakers by a crushing margin on Tuesday.

The Nifty of National Stock Exchange (NSE) too went up a tad by 3.50

points to 10,890.30.

The Sensex increased by 52 points to 36,370.74 in early trade. It

then advanced by 144 points to touch day's high of 36,462.03. It

erased early gains but closed positive at 36,321.29, up by just 2.96

points as compared to its last close. It hit day's low of 36,278.61,

down by 40 points.

The Nifty recorded day's high and low at 10,928.15 and 10,876.90

points, respectively.

The sectoral indices like Technology, Bankex, Utilities and IT rose,

along with scrips of Yes Bank, IndusInd Bank, Infosys and ONGC.

The broader markets ended mixed, as the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index eased

0.02 per cent while Small-Cap rose 0.14 pc.

The market breadth was negative on BSE, as 1,219 shares gained

versus 1,362 declined and 144 were unchanged.

On the macro front, trade deficit narrowed in December 2018, a

government data released on Tuesday said.

India's merchandise exports rose 0.3 pc to USD 27.93 billion in

December 2018 over a year ago.

Elsewhere in the world, European stocks were trading higher

Wednesday, with market participants assessing their options after

British lawmakers voted against Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit

deal by a crushing margin. As many as 432 members voted against Ms

May's proposal while 202 voted in favour.

Market focus is now largely attuned to political uncertainty in the

UK, with investors turning their attention to a confidence vote on

Ms May's government this evening.

Ms May's plan to leave the European Union by a March 29 deadline was

rejected overwhelmingly by the parliament, triggering more

uncertainty as the country struggles to engineer an orderly exit

from the trade bloc.

Most Asian stock markets rose supported by positive sentiment to

China signalling more stimulus measures to come, including larger

tax cuts, amid concerns of a slowdown in the world's second-largest

economy.

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