New Delhi, 31 July (H.S.): The domestic equity market remained largely flat during early trading on Friday, witnessing minor fluctuations after opening with modest gains. Selling pressure emerged soon after the opening bell, dragging both the Sensex and the Nifty into negative territory within the first 20 minutes of trade. However, buying interest quickly returned, enabling both benchmark indices to recover and move back into positive territory. After the first hour of trading, the Sensex was up 0.03 per cent, while the Nifty had gained 0.08 per cent.

Among the frontline stocks, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Mahindra & Mahindra, Shriram Finance and Jio Financial Services were the top gainers, advancing between 1.24 per cent and 6.64 per cent. On the other hand, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Tech Mahindra were among the top losers, declining between 1.11 per cent and 2.92 per cent.

During the first hour of trading, 2,685 stocks were actively traded on the exchanges. Of these, 1,907 stocks were trading in the green with gains, while 778 stocks were in the red. Among the 30 constituent stocks of the BSE Sensex, 16 were trading higher on buying support, while 14 were under selling pressure. Similarly, on the NSE Nifty, 28 of the 50 constituent stocks were trading in positive territory, while 22 were trading lower.

The BSE Sensex opened 70.51 points, or 0.09 per cent, higher at 77,998.66. Shortly after the opening, selling pressure intensified, pulling the index down to an intraday low of 77,809.93. Buyers then stepped in, helping the benchmark recover steadily. Amid continued buying and selling activity, the Sensex was trading 22.87 points higher at 77,951.02 at 10:15 a.m., after the first hour of trade.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty opened 44.30 points, or 0.18 per cent, higher at 24,361.45. However, selling pressure soon erased the early gains, dragging the index more than 60 points below its opening level to an intraday low of 24,299.70. Buying interest subsequently returned, allowing the benchmark to regain positive momentum. At 10:15 a.m., after the first hour of trading, the Nifty was up 19.80 points at 24,336.95 amid continued market volatility.

In the previous trading session on Thursday, the Sensex had closed 273.55 points, or 0.35 per cent, higher at 77,928.15. The Nifty had also ended the session with gains of 66.95 points, or 0.28 per cent, to settle at 24,317.15.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar