The two key equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, on Friday were trading flat amid strong volatility. The domestic indices since opening have been oscillating between gains and losses. At 10.10 am, the BSE Sensex was marginally higher by 96 points to 71,524. On the other hand, the NSE Nifty50 was trading at 21,736, up 18 points.
On the 30-share Sensex platform, ITC, ICICI Bank, SBI, Bajaj Finance, Reliance, Axis Bank emerged in the green. On the down side, M&M, Airtel, Tata Steel, Infosys, UltraCemco, JSW Steel were among the losers. Among specific stocks, RVNL tanked 8 per cent after it logged a 6 per cent drop in its net profit to Rs 359 crore in Q3.
In the broader markets, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices slipped by 0.2 per cent.
Sectorally, indices from metals, auto, oil & gas, banks, and realty were trading in the red, down 1-2 per cent.
In the previous session on Thursday, the S&P BSE Sensex sank 724 points to close at 71,428, while the NSE Nifty50 closed at 21,718, down 213 points.
In Asia, markets of Tokyo and Shanghai were trading in the green zone, while Hong Kong traded lower. In the US, markets closed in the green on Thursday.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 4,933.78 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.09 per cent to $81.70 a barrel.
Meanwhile, Indian rupee rose 5 paise to 83.01 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, tracking a strong US currency and elevated crude oil prices in the global market. Forex traders said a negative trend in domestic equities and foreign fund inflows weighed on investor sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 82.96 against the dollar and touched an early low of 83.01 and a high of 82.95 in initial trade. On Thursday, the rupee settled on a flat note at 82.96 against the US dollar, after the RBI decided to keep the key policy rate unchanged for the sixth time in a row to maintain a tight vigil on inflation.