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Sensex ends flat as rate-cut hopes offset earnings disappointment

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building is pictured next to a police van in Mumbai April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/Files

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Nifty ended little-changed on Wednesday as gains in banking stocks on expectations of a rate cut offset a fall in shares of Tata Motors. The Nifty closed down 0.06 percent, while the benchmark Sensex ended up 0.12 percent. Axis Bank Ltd rose 2.4 percent, while ICICI Bank Ltd and HDFC Bank Ltd both closed up 1.1 percent. The Reserve Bank of India is likely to cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 7.25 percent when it meets early next week and make a similar move before December, according to a Reuters poll. However, Tata Motors fell 5.2 percent after a surprise drop in its bottomline. Tech Mahindra was the biggest loser on the NSE index, dropping 14.2 percent after reporting a lower profit. (Reporting by Himank Sharma; Editing by Prateek Chatterjee)