Sensex declines over 110 points in early trade; Nifty tests17,200

Mumbai: Market benchmark Sensex declined over 110 points in opening trade on Friday, tracking losses in index majors Maruti Suzuki, HDFC Bank and Tech Mahindra amid a weak trend in Asian equities.

The 30-share BSE benchmark was trading 111.14 points lower at 57,484.54. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 18.25 points to 17,204.50 in the early session.

From the 30-share pack, Titan, Maruti Suzuki India, Tech Mahindra, Asian Paints, Nestle India and HDFC Bank were the major laggards.

On the other hand, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, State Bank of India and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the gainers.

In the previous session, the BSE Sensex had declined 89.14 points or 0.15 per cent to settle at 57,595.68. The NSE Nifty declined 22.90 points or 0.13 per cent to 17,222.75.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong were quoting lower during mid-session deals.

Stock exchanges in the US ended higher in the overnight session.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude surged 0.22 per cent to USD 119.29 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) turned net sellers in the capital market, as they sold shares worth Rs 1,740.71 crore on Thursday, according to stock exchange data.

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