After roller-coaster trade, the BSE benchmark Sensex on Wednesday ended flat -- a marginal slip of 16 points, as investors turned cautious on renewed concerns over the euro-zone crisis and a weak global trend.
The Sensex, which lost 324 points in the last two trading sessions, shuttled between 17,615.92 and 17,337.65 before ending with a loss of 15.98 points at 17,464.85.
Auto and financial stocks led the declines.
However, the broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty managed to settle with a small gain of 0.50 point at 5,258.45 as most-weighted Reliance Industries made gains. Before this, the index moved between 5,300.10 and 5,204.95.
Brokers said investor worries resurfaced over the euro-zone debt crisis, after Greece's called for a referendum on a plan by European leaders to defuse the crisis.
They said auto sector index suffered heavy losses amid slow growth because of high interest rates and a possibility of further hike in fuel prices.
Weak openings in Asia and Europe pushed investors away.
{{/usCountry}}Weak openings in Asia and Europe pushed investors away.
{{/usCountry}}Sensex has tumbled more than 14 per cent this year, on account of the high interest rate regime to tame inflation and slow economic growth.
Fifteen of the 30-BSE index stocks closed in the red, while others gained.
The auto sector index suffered the most by losing 0.44% to 9,248.68.
Gains by heavy-weight Reliance Industries, up 1.27%.