MUMBAI - A key index of the Indian equities markets slipped back into the red, after having crawled back into the green a little before noon Friday.

At 12.37 p.m., the 30-scrip benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Sensex, which had opened weak at 14,951.49 points, was at 14,983.9 points — 28.42 points or 0.19 percent below Thursday’s close.

It had crept into the green around 11.30 a.m. for a short while.

At around the same time, the S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), too, was trading in the negative terrain at 4,452.95 points, down 0.01 percent.

However, broader market indices were doing well, with the BSE midcap index trading 0.51 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index moving up 1.01 percent.

Of the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE, those for FMCG, healthcare and metal scrips were losing the most, while realty and IT stocks found favour among buyers.

The market breadth was positive, with 1,379 stocks on the rise, compared to 1,021 on the decline, while 101 remained unchanged.

Among the gainers at this time were Hero Honda, up 1.83 percent at Rs.1,438.10; BHEL, up 1.2 percent at Rs.2,278.20; ACC, up 1.16 percent at Rs.767.20, and Infosys, up 1.06 percent at Rs.2,014.

Among losers were HDFC Bank, down 1.66 percent at Rs.1,456; ITC, down 1.33 percent at Rs.222.30; Sun Pharma, down 1.32 percent at Rs.1,172.50, and Hindustan Unilever, down 1.15 percent at Rs.254.10.

Other Asian markets were trading mixed, with the Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, ending 145.21 points lower at 10,238.2 points, 1.4 percent down from its previous close.

At the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the main index was ruling up 1.69 percent up, while the primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, was ruling in the red at 20,152.77 points, down 176.09 points or 0.87 percent.