The equity benchmark indices opened in red for the second consecutive day amid week global cues on Friday. In the opening bell, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 233.98 points to 81,967.18. Meanwhile, the Nifty was also down by 60 points to 25,085.10 points.
Major gainers and laggards
Among the 30 Sensex firms, State Bank of India, UltraTech Cement, Reliance Industries, NTPC, ICICI Bank and Titan were the biggest laggards. Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints and IndusInd Bank were among the gainers.
In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong were trading lower. The US markets ended mostly in the negative territory on Thursday. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 688. 69 crore on Thursday after days of remaining buyers, according to exchange data. The global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0. 07 per cent to USD 72.64 a barrel.
Rupee against dollar
Meanwhile, the Rupee rose by 2 paise to 83.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday amid a weaker dollar against major currencies overseas. An upward movement in the international crude oil prices, negative domestic equity markets and outflow of foreign capital capped gains in the local unit, forex traders said. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened 1 paisa higher at 83.96 against the greenback. The domestic unit had settled 4 paise higher at 83.97 on Thursday.
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