Indian equity benchmarks BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 opened flat on Tuesday amid weak cues from Asian peers. The indices later pared losses as auto, metal, and capital goods stocks witnessed buying interest.
The Sensex opened 24 points lower at 73,304, while the Nifty 50 started the day at 22,090, down 8 points.
On the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, Titan, Bharti Airtel, Maruti Suzuki, and Asian Paints were among the top gainers. On the flip side, heavyweights like HCL Technologies, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, NTPC, Infosys, and Mahindra & Mahindra faced selling pressure.
The broader BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices managed to hold onto mild gains of up to 0.2% each.
Sectoral indices painted a mixed picture, with IT, healthcare, power and realty stocks trading lower. Metal, auto, and capital goods shares defied the trend to trade in the positive territory.
In international markets, equities in Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong lost ground amid concerns over rising coronavirus cases in China. US markets remained closed on Monday for a holiday.
On Monday, the domestic market started the week on a bullish note, with Sensex surging 759 points to end at 73,328. Nifty 50 index settled 203 points higher at 22,097.
As per provisional exchange data, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 1,085.72 crore on Monday.
Overall, Indian indices once again kicked off Tuesday’s session flatly, as weakness in IT and healthcare stocks neutralized gains in metal and auto counters. Investors also remained concerned over the trajectory of economic recovery amid risks from rising global rates and inflation.
