New Delhi, 26 December (H.S.): Domestic equity markets opened on a weak note on Friday, with both benchmark indices — the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty — slipping into negative territory after a brief attempt at recovery during early trade. Despite initial buying support at the market open, profit-booking soon intensified across sectors, leading to broader declines by mid-morning.

At around 10:00 AM, the Sensex was down 179.97 points (0.21%) at 85,228.73, while the Nifty shed 51.85 points (0.20%) to trade at 26,090.25. The selling momentum, led by financials, metals, and IT counters, offset modest gains in select pharma and consumer stocks.

The BSE Sensex had opened 183.42 points lower at 85,225.28, touched an intraday high of 85,378.51 shortly after the opening bell, and then retreated as selling pressure mounted within the first 15 minutes of trade. Similarly, the Nifty 50 opened 20.85 points down at 26,121.25, briefly climbed into positive territory at 26,144.20, but could not sustain the gains amid profit-taking.

Among large-cap performers, Cipla, Titan Company, Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, and Trent Limited traded higher, gaining between 0.20% and 0.51%, supported by defensive buying. In contrast, Shriram Finance, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, Max Healthcare, and TCS were among the top laggards, declining between 0.42% and 1.06%.

By mid-morning, market breadth remained moderately positive on the BSE, where 2,142 stocks were actively traded. Of these, 1,185 shares were advancing while 957 shares were in the red. Within the 30-stock Sensex, only five components were trading in positive territory, while 25 continued to see sustained selling.

On the Nifty 50, 11 stocks were advancing and 39 were under pressure.On Wednesday, the last trading session before the Christmas holiday, the Sensex had closed 116.14 points or 0.14% lower at 85,408.70, while the Nifty ended 35.05 points (0.13%) down at 26,142.10.

Market sentiment on Friday remains cautious, as investors await fresh global cues and institutional activity post the holiday season. Analysts expect near-term volatility to persist amid thin volumes and profit-booking in blue-chip counters following recent record highs.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar