Markets open in green, HCL Tech soars over 4%

New Delhi: Markets opened on a cautious note on Monday amid lack of directional cues from global and domestic markets.

The 30-share BSE index was trading 38.84 points or 0.10 per cent higher at 38,884.66; while the NSE Nifty rose 10.30 points or 0.09 per cent to 11,515.25.

HCL Tech was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 4 per cent, followed by Infosys, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Kotak Bank, M&M and Asian Paints.

HCL Technologies on Monday said it will acquire Australian IT solutions firm DWS Ltd, a move that will help the Indian company strengthen its position in the Australia and New Zealand market.

On the other hand, Bajaj Auto, Nestle India, ICICI Bank, PowerGrid and Bharti Airtel were among the laggards.

Meanwhile, exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 205.15 crore on a net basis on Friday.

Among Asian peers, MSCI`s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.1% weaker, though it was not too far from a June 2018 peak at 568.84. Australia`s benchmark index slipped 0.5% while New Zealand`s stumbled 0.6%. Chinese shares opened in the red with the blue-chip index down 0.3%. In commodities, U.S. crude slipped 2 cents to $43.13 a barrel. Brent crude fell 1 cent to $41.1. Gold was slightly lower, with spot prices at $1,951.3 an ounce, a Reuters report said.

In the previous session, Sensex settled 134.03 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 38,845.82, while Nifty fell 11.15 points or 0.10 per cent to finish at 11,504.95.