New Delhi, 09 January (H.S.): Indian equity benchmarks staged a tentative recovery Friday morning after opening lower, buoyed by aggressive buying that propelled both Sensex and Nifty into positive territory within minutes, though profit-taking soon induced volatility during the first hour of trade.

Trading commenced with Sensex sliding 158.87 points or 0.19 percent to 84,022.09, while Nifty shed 36.45 points or 0.14 percent to 25,840.40; brisk purchases lifted Sensex over 400 points to 84,406.22 within five minutes and Nifty beyond 100 points to 25,940.60 shortly thereafter.

Subsequent selling pressure dragged Sensex to 84,019.50 and Nifty to 25,818.35 midway through the opening half-hour, but renewed investor interest steadied the indices, resulting in marginal declines of 60.32 points (0.07 percent) for Sensex at 84,120.64 and 18.40 points (0.07 percent) for Nifty at 25,858.45 by 10:15 a.m.

Sectoral Divergences and Broader Market Pulse

Gainers among Sensex heavyweights included Eternal, ONGC, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, and Power Grid Corporation, advancing 1.16 to 3.12 percent, while Adani Enterprises, ICICI Bank, Adani Ports, Shriram Finance, and NTPC retreated 0.90 to 1.39 percent.

Of 2,613 active stocks, 1,214 traded higher against 1,399 decliners; Sensex's 30 components split with 16 advances and 14 declines, as Nifty's 50 showed 26 gainers versus 24 losers.This choppy session follows Thursday's sharp reversals, with Sensex plunging 780.18 points (0.92 percent) to 84,180.96 and Nifty tumbling 263.90 points (1.01 percent) to 25,876.85, reflecting persistent trader caution amid global cues and domestic profit booking.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar