Indian share markets witnessed volatile trading activity throughout the day today and ended on a flat note.

Benchmark indices erased early gains and ended on a flat note amid F&O expiry day volatility and mixed cues across global markets.

At the closing bell, the BSE Sensex stood higher by 5 points (up 0.1%).

Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty closed higher by 2 points (up 0.1%).

Britannia Industries and Tata Consumer were among the top gainers today.

Bharti Airtel and JSW Steel, on the other hand, were among the top losers today.

The SGX Nifty was trading at 16,675, up by 42 points, at the time of writing.

Both, the BSE MidCap index and the BSE SmallCap index ended the day up by 0.4%.

Sectoral indices ended on a mixed note with stocks in the power sector and energy sector witnessing buying interest.

Telecom stocks, on the other hand, witnessed selling pressure.

Shares of Kajaria Ceramics and Avenue Supermarts hit their respective 52-week highs today.

Asian stock markets ended on a mixed note today as traders wait for more clues about the regulatory outlook in China as well as the Federal Reserve's approach to paring stimulus.

Both, the Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite ended the day down by 1.1%. The Nikkei ended up by 0.1%.

US stock futures are trading on a flat note today with the Dow Futures trading up by 7 points.

The rupee is trading at 74.22 against the US$.

Gold prices for the latest contract on MCX are trading down by 0.1% at Rs 47,118 per 10 grams.

Moving on to stock-specific news...

Affle India was among the top buzzing stocks today.

Affle India announced that its board has approved a stock split in the ratio of 1:5 to facilitate a larger shareholder base and aid liquidity.

The stock split is subject to shareholders and other required approvals.

The company in communication to exchanges said that board-approved stock split of 1 equity share of the face value of Rs 10 each into 5 equity shares of the face value of Rs 2 each.

Post the shareholder's approval for the stock split, the record date for the same shall be 8 October 2021, Affle India added.

A stock split helps boost the stock's liquidity, particularly among retail investors.

In a stock split, the company divides the existing shares of its stock into new shares though the total value of the shares remains the same.

For the quarter ended June, Affle's consolidated revenue from operations jumped to Rs 1.5 bn, an increase in revenue by 69.8% in the year on year (YoY) basis.

Net profit increased by 57.2% (YoY) to Rs 295 m from Rs 188 m in the same period last year.

Affle is a technology company that delivers consumer engagements, acquisitions, and transactions through relevant mobile advertising. Its platform aims to enhance returns on marketing investment through contextual mobile ads.

Affle India's share price ended the day up by 5% on the BSE.

Moving on to news from the FMCG sector...

P&G Hygiene June Quarter Profit falls 29% YoY

FMCG firm Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care on Wednesday reported a 29.2% decline in its net profit at Rs 489.8 m for the quarter ended June 2021.

The company, which follows the July-June financial year, had posted a net profit of Rs 692.1 m in the same period of the previous fiscal.

However, revenue from operations rose 24% to Rs 7.9 bn against Rs 6.3 bn in the April-June period last year.

Profit before tax (PBT) slumped 36.3% to Rs 672.5 m in the fourth quarter of 2021 from Rs 1.1 bn in the same quarter last year.

Profitability was impacted by increased investment in brand-building initiatives to accelerate growth.

The company delivered a strong performance in the year with sales of Rs 35.7 bn, rising 19% YoY on the back of a strong product portfolio and retail execution.

For the full year, profit after tax (PAT) came at Rs 6.5 bn, growing 51% YoY backed by strong sales growth, productivity, and a one-time help.

For the fiscal, both feminine care and healthcare businesses recorded double-digit growth and grew ahead of their categories.

In a separate filing, P&G Hygiene reported that they have appointed Ghanashyam Hegde as the company secretary of the company and compliance officer effective 1 September 2021.

Presently, Hegde is the non-executive Director of the company. After his appointment as company secretary, Hegde will be holding an executive position in the company.

P&G Hygiene share price ended the day up by 2.5% on the BSE.

Speaking of the FMCG sector, have a look at the chart below which shows the performance of BSE Sensex and BSE FMCG index since 2009.

While Sensex has offered 393% returns since 2009, the BSE FMCG index has gone up a staggering 532% returns over the same period.

With a rising population and standards of living, Indian consumption demand for FMCG products will skyrocket over the coming years.