New Delhi, June 20 -- On June 19, Indian stocks closed slightly lower in a choppy session, with the Nifty 50 slipping below 24,800 as most sectors-auto being the lone exception-saw selling pressure. The market opened flat-to-negative and spent the day trading in a tight band, buffeted by mixed global cues after the US Federal Reserve held rates steady but warned of higher inflation and slower growth ahead.

Mounting geopolitical strains in the Middle East further dampened sentiment. By the bell, the Sensex had lost 82.79 points (0.10%) to end at 81,361.87, while the Nifty dropped 18.80 points (0.08%) to finish at 24,793.25. Broader gauges underperformed, with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices each sliding over 1.5%.

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