Mumbai, Jan. 1 -- Benchmark equity indices ended nearly flat as the expiry of weekly Sensex derivatives contracts capped gains in the absence of major economic cues. The Nifty closed below the 25,150 mark after giving up early advances, with auto and metal stocks rising while pharma and healthcare shares declined, as investors shifted focus to the upcoming earnings season.

The S&P BSE Sensex declined 32 points or 0.04% to 85,188.60. The Nifty 50 index gained 16.95 points or 0.06% to 26,146.55.

ITC (down 9.69%), Bajaj Finance (down 1.46%) and ICICI Bank (down 0.42%) were major index drags.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index climbed 0.27% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.02%.

The market breadth was positive. On the B...