New Delhi, 11 August (H.S.):

The domestic equity market remained under pressure during early trading on Tuesday, with both benchmark indices opening marginally lower before extending their losses amid sustained selling pressure. Although buyers attempted to revive the market after the first half-hour of trade, the recovery remained limited. After the first hour of trading, the Sensex was down 0.49 per cent, while the Nifty was trading 0.45 per cent lower.

The BSE Sensex opened 32.67 points, or 0.04 per cent, lower at 78,509.77. Selling pressure intensified soon after the opening bell, dragging the index lower. During the first half-hour of trade, the Sensex fell nearly 400 points to 78,114.07 amid continued selling. Buyers subsequently attempted to regain ground, leading to a modest recovery. At 10:15 a.m., after the first hour of trading, the Sensex was down 387.58 points at 78,154.86.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty opened 8.70 points, or 0.04 per cent, lower at 24,575.10. Broad-based selling immediately after the opening pushed the index lower. During the first 30 minutes, the Nifty slipped more than 120 points to 24,460.90. Buyers then attempted to stage a recovery, but the gains remained limited. At 10:15 a.m., the Nifty was trading 110.45 points lower at 24,473.35.

A total of 2,801 stocks were actively traded during the early session. Of these, 1,342 stocks were trading in positive territory, while 1,459 were in the red. Among the 30 Sensex constituents, only seven stocks were trading higher, while 23 remained under selling pressure. On the Nifty, 16 of the 50 constituents were trading in the green, while 34 were in negative territory.

Among the major stocks, Eicher Motors, Bajaj Auto, HCL Technologies, Titan Company and Bajaj Finserv were trading higher, with gains ranging from 1.37 per cent to 0.76 per cent after the first hour of trading. On the other hand, Tata Consumer Products, Nestle, Axis Bank, InterGlobe Aviation and SBI Life Insurance were among the major laggards, declining between 1.79 per cent and 1.08 per cent.

In the previous trading session on Monday, the Sensex had closed 43.67 points, or 0.06 per cent, higher at 78,542.44. The Nifty also ended marginally higher, gaining 13.15 points, or 0.05 per cent, to settle at 24,583.80.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar