Sensex opens in red, Nifty remains flat; IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech, Maruti decline

Indian equity market benchmarks traded flat to negative in opening trade on Thursday (February 13) with the BSE Sensex losing 30 points or 0.07 per cent to open at 41536.24 points and the broader Nifty 50 index opening flat at 12,206.30 points.

A total of 19 Sensex stocks out of 30 opened in red. IndusInd Bank was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, plunging 1.23 per cent, followed by HUL, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HCL Tech and Maruti. State Bank of India was the top gainer, advancing 2.75 per cent, followed by Titan, ONGC, Infosys and Nestle India. Among sectoral indices, the Nifty Bank index was opened 0.25 per cent lower weighed by RBL Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank. 

On Wednesday (February 12), the benchmark indices continued to rally amid positive global cues with the Sensex closing 349.76 points higher or 0.85% at 41,565.90, while Nifty ended up 93.30 points or 0.77% at 12,201.20. Major gainers on the Nifty were HUL, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Eicher Motors, and ICICI Bank, while top losers were Yes Bank, Bharti Infratel, SBI, and IndusInd Bank. About 984 shares advanced, 1490 shares declined, while 170 shares remained unchanged. 

Most sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the positive terrain with Nifty metal and FMCG up by 1.2 per cent each. Among stocks, Vedanta gained by 1.9 per cent at Rs 143.50 per share while Tata Steel moved up by 1.7 per cent, and JSW Steel by 1.3 per cent.