Mumbai, March 7 (IANS): A benchmark index for Indian equities markets was trading flat in the late afternoon trade session Thursday, as metal, oil and gas and consumer durables stocks plummeted.

However, capital goods, information technology (IT) and media, entertainment and technology (TECk) scrips gained.

The 30-scrip Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 19,222.05 points, was ruling at 19,281.90 points, up 29.29 points or 0.15 percent from its previous close at 19,252.61 points.

The Sensex touched an intra-day high of 19,283.17 points and a low of 19,212.92 points. The midcap index was up 8.41 points, while the smallcap index was 16.83 points higher.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was trading higher by 4 points or 0.07 percent at 5,822.60 points.

The BSE metal index was down 90.61 points, followed by the oil and gas index, which was trading lower by 61.24 points and the consumer durables index, down 43.88 points.

The BSE capital goods index was up 137.66 points, the IT index was down 116.87 points and the TECk index was trading 54.12 points higher.