The two key equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, on Monday are trading flat amid volatility, tracking muted Asian cues. At 9.38 am, the BSE Sensex was marginally up by 45 points to 72,131. On the other hand, the NSE Nifty50 was trading at 21,887, up 33 points.
On the 30-share Sensex platform, Tata Motors (7 per cent), M&M, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, NTPC, Asian Paints were among early gainers. On the down side, Kotak Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Reliance, IndusInd Bank, Infosys emerged losers.
In the broader markets, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices held gains of up to 0.37 per cent.
In the previous session on Friday, the S&P BSE Sensex ended 440 points higher at 72,086, while the NSE Nifty50 closed at 21,854, up 156 points.
In the Asian markets, Tokyo traded in the green, while Seoul, Shanghai, and Hong Kong were trading lower. The US markets ended in the positive zone on Friday.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.32 per cent to $77.58 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 70.69 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, the rupee fell 4 paise to 83.02 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, tracking a strong American currency and rising crude oil prices in the international market. However, positive cues from the domestic equity markets and inflow of foreign funds supported the Indian currency, forex traders said.
Investors will also keep a close watch on the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) monetary policy (MPC) decision to be announced later this week, they said. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 83.03 against the dollar and touched a low of 83.04 before gaining marginally to trade at 83.02, down 4 paise over its previous close.