By IANS
Mumbai : Indian equities opened on a positive note Thursday in spite of weak cues from global markets but trading was marked by high volatility with weak showing by technology and oil companies in the initial trades.
The benchmark 30 share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened at 18,198.68, against Wednesday’s close at 18,139.49, but slipped to the negative at 18,056.88 points soon after.
After an hour of trading the index was ruling at 18,126.43 points, with a small fall of 13.06 points, or 0.07 percent, over the previous day’s close.
The broader Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) opened at 5,322.55 points, and, with little movement either ways, it remained flat.
The market breadth was positive. Out of the total 1,279 stocks trading on the BSE, 985 advanced, 272 declined while 22 remained unchanged.
The gainers among Sensex stocks included Grasim, which rose 2.12 percent at Rs. 2,950.00, and Bajaj Auto, up 0.67 percent at Rs.2,355.00. Reliance Energy and Bharti also opened positive.
Losers included Cipla, which fell 1.78 percent at Rs.198.55, TCS, down 1.17 percent, and Hindustan Unilever, down 1.10 percent to 222.80. Ranbaxy, Wipro and Oil and Natural Gas Corp also slipped.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei index was down 0.10 percent. The markets in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan were closed on account of heir lunar New Year celebrations.
In the US, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 65.03 points, or 0.53 percent, Wednesday at 12,200 points.