Mumbai, Feb 6 (IANS): A benchmark index for Indian equities markets was trading flat in the afternoon trade Wednesday as capital goods and bank stocks plummeted.

The 30-scrip Sensex, which opened at 19,737.77 points, was ruling at 19,682.65 points, up 22.83 points or 0.12 percent around 1 p.m. from its previous close at 19,659.82 points.

The Sensex touched an intra-day high of 19,767.25 points and a low of 19,674.03 points. The midcap index was up 14 points, while the smallcap index was higher by 29.21 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was trading higher by 15.20 points or 0.26 percent at 5,972.10 points.

There was heavy selling pressure in capital goods and bank stocks. However, metal, consumer durables and oil and gas stocks rallied.

Major indices like the capital goods index and the bank index were down 25.89 and 29.25 points, respectively.

Metal index was up 79.18 points. The consumer durables index was up 45.76 points. And so was the oil and gas index, which was higher by 40.59 points.

Among other Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei was up 3.77 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was 0.69 percent higher. China's Shanghai Composite Index was trading marginally up by 0.06 percent.