Nifty little changed in quiet start to new year

Indian shares were nearly unchanged on Monday, with gains in healthcare and consumer stocks offset by losses in the information technology sector.

The broader NSE Nifty was down 0.02 percent at 10,528.70 as of 0535 GMT, while the benchmark BSE Sensex was 0.03 percent higher at 34,068.52.

Both the indexes ended 2017 with the biggest annual gain since 2014, with equities on a record-setting run last year.

Pharma stocks edged higher, with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd up 1.8 percent, among the top percentage gainers.

IT stocks fell, with the Nifty IT index down 0.4 percent after it climbed 12 percent last year.

Most global markets were shut on Monday.