New Delhi, 11 March (H.S.): Indian equity benchmarks opened on a mixed note Wednesday but quickly succumbed to selling pressure in early trade, with the Sensex and Nifty slipping into negative territory.

Market Opening Volatility

Both indices started flat, buoyed briefly by buying support that pushed the Sensex to 78,324.37 within the first five minutes from an opening of 78,238.91, up 32.93 points. However, sustained selling erased these gains, leaving the Sensex down 380.65 points, or 0.49%, at 77,825.33 by 10 a.m.

The Nifty mirrored this trend, opening lower at 24,231.85 (down 29.75 points) before rallying to 24,299, only to fall 112.45 points, or 0.46%, to 24,149.15 amid choppy trading.

Top Gainers and Losers

Among Sensex heavyweights, InterGlobe Aviation, Adani Ports, Hindalco Industries, NTPC, and Tata Steel bucked the downturn, trading 1.37% to 2.20% higher. In contrast, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Max Healthcare, Tata Consumer Products, SBI Life Insurance, and Bharti Airtel posted losses ranging from 1.03% to 1.21%.

Broader Market Snapshot

Out of 2,676 active stocks on the BSE, 2,096 advanced while 580 declined, reflecting selective buying resilience. In the Sensex's 30 components, 12 shares gained and 18 fell; Nifty's 50 stocks saw 21 risers against 29 decliners.

Previous Session Recap

The prior session on Tuesday saw a strong close, with the Sensex surging 639.82 points (0.82%) to 78,205.98 and the Nifty climbing 233.55 points (0.97%) to 24,261.60, setting a positive backdrop before today's reversal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar