New Delhi, August 19 (HS): Indian equities started Tuesday’s session on a firm yet volatile note, with both benchmark indices — the Sensex and Nifty — trading higher in early deals. Buying support during the opening minutes lifted the indices, although profit-booking quickly capped gains, creating a choppy trend.

By 10 AM, the Sensex was up 143.93 points, or 0.18%, at 81,417.68, while the Nifty advanced 30.60 points, or 0.12%, to 24,907.55.

The BSE Sensex opened with a modest gain of 45.36 points at 81,319.11 and scaled an early high of 81,512.36 before retreating due to profit-taking. Similarly, the NSE Nifty began the session at 24,891.35, hit an intraday high of 24,936.45, but later pared gains.

On the stock-specific front, Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, Hero MotoCorp, Infosys, and Kotak Mahindra Bank led the upside, rising between 0.35% and 2.13%. On the flip side, Shriram Finance, SBI Life Insurance, Bajaj Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Bharat Electronics slipped between 1.11% and 1.56%.

Market breadth reflected a mixed sentiment. Out of 2,444 stocks traded, 1,418 were in the green while 1,026 declined. Within the benchmarks, 12 of the 30 Sensex constituents were trading higher against 18 losers, whereas on the Nifty, 18 stocks gained while 32 were under pressure.

The upbeat opening follows Monday’s strong close, when the Sensex surged 676.09 points (0.84%) to settle at 81,273.75, and the Nifty advanced 245.65 points (1%) to end at 24,876.95.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar