Sensex, Nifty open flat as IT and pharma gain

Mumbai: The Indian stock market opened on a quiet note on Wednesday, with both benchmark indices showing minimal movement in early trade.

The Sensex inched up by just 12 points to 85,151, while the Nifty slipped 18 points to 26,014.

Most of the major Sensex stocks were trading in the red, dragging the indices sideways. Shares of HUL, Titan, Tata Motors PV, NTPC, BEL, Trent, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Bank, Ultratech Cement, Maruti Suzuki, L&T, Power Grid, and ITC were among the top losers in the morning session.

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Despite the broader weakness, some heavyweights helped limit the downside. TCS, Infosys, Eternal, HCL Tech, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, and Adani Ports were trading higher, providing support to the indices.

In the broader market, mid- and small-cap stocks showed resilience. The Nifty MidCap index managed to rise 0.02 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index gained 0.08 per cent after erasing early losses.

Sector-wise, IT and pharma stocks outperformed the market. The Nifty IT index rose 0.7 per cent and the Nifty Pharma index added 0.3 per cent.

These sectors benefited from the Indian Rupee hitting a record low, as many companies in these industries earn a significant part of their revenue in dollars while most of their expenses are in rupees.

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On the other hand, PSU bank stocks were under pressure, with the Nifty PSU Bank index falling 0.6 per cent in early trade.

Analysts said that the market remained range-bound as mixed global cues and a weak currency influenced investor sentiment.

“The ideal strategy for investors in this period of uncertainty is to remain invested in high quality growth stocks in the large and midcap segments. Smallcaps, as a segment, continues to be overvalued and are, therefore, best avoided,” market watchers added.