New Delhi: Markets ended lower on Monday despite a stellar opening.

The BSE Sensex fell 81.48 points or 0.26 percent to end at 31,561.22. On the other hand, the NSE Nifty closed 12.30 points or 0.13 percent lower at 9,239.20.

Major losers in the Sensex pack were ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, HUL, HDFC, IndusInd Bank, Nestle, HDFC Bank, Sun Pharma, Tech Mahindra, SBI, Asian Paints and Bajaj Finance, falling upto 5.23 percent. On the other hand major gainers were Heromoto Corp, Bajaj Auto, Maruti, TCS, HCL Tech, Ultrachem, ONGC, Infosys, Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, RIL and L&, rising upto 6.29 percent.

Foreign portfolio investors purchased equities worth Rs 1,724.71 crore in the capital market on Friday, provisional exchange data showed. Meanwhile, the rupee slipped 19 paise to close at 75.73 against the US dollar.

In the previous session on Friday, the 30-share BSE Sensex finally settled 199.32 points or 0.63 per cent higher at 31,642.70. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rose 52.45 points, or 0.57 per cent, to finish at 9,251.50.