New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): The National Stock Exchange set a new record in the equity cash segment on Friday with turnover hitting an all-time high of Rs 2,87,452.34 crore, even as benchmark indices closed with steep losses in the final minutes of trade.

NSE continues to be the market leader in the cash segment, with today's volume reflecting heavy retail and institutional activity. Total market turnover across products stood at Rs 5,47,477 crore. Equity derivatives saw volume of 11.17 crore contracts worth Rs 2,29,486.40 crore, with open interest at 2.16 crore contracts. Currency derivatives clocked Rs 7,938.14 crore, interest rate derivatives Rs 40.61 crore, commodity derivatives at Rs 96.81 crore, debt came in at Rs 20,585.66 crore, and mutual funds at Rs 1,877.03 crore.

Despite the record volumes, Indian equities closed with steep losses towards the final minutes of Friday's trading. Broad-based selling pressure emerged due to weak monsoon forecasts, MSCI rebalancing flows, and geopolitical concerns. Sectorally, most indices ended deep in the red except Nifty IT, which outperformed.

Among gainers, Tech Mahindra led with a 1.68 per cent rise to Rs 1,480.00 on volume of 39.55 lakh shares worth Rs 586.82 crore. HCL Tech gained 1.44 per cent to Rs 1,182.00 with volume of 124.47 lakh shares worth Rs 1,474.01 crore. Wipro was up 1.25 per cent at Rs 204.10, trading 827.35 lakh shares worth Rs 1,704.08 crore. Nestle India added 1.09 per cent to Rs 1,443.00 with Rs 1,857.70 crore turnover, while LT rose 1.05 per cent to Rs 4,090.00 on Rs 1,997.97 crore traded.

The record cash volume came on a day when Nifty Oil & Gas, Nifty Metal and Nifty Auto fell around 2 per cent each.

The contrast between record turnover and negative close points to distribution and position adjustment ahead of the weekend. High volumes in IT stocks like Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech and Wipro helped the Nifty IT index close 0.6 per cent higher, even as the broader market succumbed to selling.

With Rs 2.87 lakh crore traded in equities and Rs 5.47 lakh crore across segments, Friday marked one of the busiest sessions on NSE this year (ANI)