Indian equity markets traded within a narrow range on Friday, fluctuating between gains and losses. At close, On the NSE, the broader 50-share index defended the 14,650-mark to settle at 14,678 levels, down 19 points or 0.13 percent. In contrast, the BSE benchmark Sensex gained 42 points at 48733 marks.

Overall, 21 of the 30 shares on the Sensex and 34 of the 50 constituents of the Nifty ended the day in the red. Coal India, Hindalco, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Grasim, and IndusInd Bank on the Nifty and M&M, SBI, ONGC, Dr Reddy's Labs, and NTPC on the Sensex ended the day as top laggards.

On a weekly basis, both, the Sensex and the Nifty50 indices slipped around 1 percent each.

On the upside, Asian Paints, UPL, ITC, Nestle India, L&T, HUL, Britannia, PowerGrid, and Reliance Industries were the combined top gainers of the day.

According to CMIE about 7.4 million Indians have lost their jobs due to lockdown; meanwhile, the unemployment rate has jumped to 8 percent in April compared to 65 percent  in March.

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