New Delhi, Oct. 27 -- Indian equity benchmarks traded on a cautious note on Tuesday, 27 October and ended flat, as elevated crude oil prices and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment. The weakness has been particularly pronounced in the FMCG sector, with the Nifty FMCG index extending its decline amid sustained selling pressure. The index hit a fresh 52-week low of 42,800.75 on 26 October and traded largely flat to positive on Tuesday. It closed at 43,118 . 20, touched an intraday low of 42,454.50 and a high of 43,119.75.

The Nifty FMCG index has fallen over 22% year-to-date (YTD) and about 16% over the past six months, significantly underperforming the Nifty 50, which has declined around 13% YTD and 6% o...