New Delhi, 30 December (H.S.): Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty opened on a subdued note on Tuesday, witnessing sharp fluctuations in early trade as investors engaged in profit booking ahead of the year-end. Despite an initial recovery supported by selective buying, both indices slipped back into negative territory as selling pressure persisted.The BSE Sensex opened lower by 94.55 points at 84,600.99 and soon extended losses to touch an intraday low of 84,470.94.

However, buying in select heavyweights helped the index recover briefly before renewed selling dragged it back into the red. By 10 a.m., the Sensex was trading 27.77 points down at 84,667.77 — a dip of 0.03 percent.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty began marginally lower by 1.20 points at 25,940.90. The index briefly slipped to an early low of 25,878 amid profit booking, before regaining ground to trade in positive territory for a short while. However, the gains proved short-lived, and by 10 a.m., the Nifty slipped again, trading 6.65 points lower at 25,935.45.Among major movers, Shriram Finance, Bharat Electronics, Hindalco Industries, TMPV, and Grasim Industries were among the top gainers, advancing between 0.15 and 0.98 percent.

On the other hand, Max Healthcare, Bajaj Finserv, Apollo Hospitals, InterGlobe Aviation, and Tata Consumer Products declined between 0.57 and 0.84 percent.Market breadth was slightly negative, with 2,093 stocks actively traded on the BSE — out of which 818 advanced while 1,275 declined. Within the Sensex pack, 12 stocks traded in the green and 18 in the red. On the Nifty index, 21 shares gained while 29 slipped into negative territory.On Monday, the domestic market had ended lower amid weak global cues. The Sensex had lost 345.91 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 84,695.54, while the Nifty had declined 100.20 points, or 0.38 percent, to end at 25,942.10.

Analysts said volatility remains high as investors adjust positions ahead of the calendar year-end, with broader cues from global markets expected to guide sentiment in the latter half of the session.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar