New Delhi, September 30 (HS): Indian equities opened firm on Tuesday but soon lost momentum amid profit booking, leaving the key indices trading flat after the first hour of trade. Both the Sensex and Nifty gained in the opening minutes on buying support but slipped soon after as selling pressure emerged.

By 10:15 a.m., the Sensex was down 34.05 points or 0.04 percent at 80,330.89, while the Nifty edged up a marginal 4.15 points or 0.02 percent to 24,639.05.Among the major movers, JSW Steel, Hindalco Industries, Shriram Finance, Asian Paints, and Max Healthcare gained between 0.85 percent and 1.25 percent.

On the losing side, InterGlobe Aviation, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors, and Axis Bank declined in the range of 0.20 percent to 1.35 percent.

Broader market participation remained active with 2,163 stocks trading, of which 1,514 were in the green while 649 traded in the red. Within the Sensex basket, 18 stocks advanced against 12 in decline, while the Nifty saw 28 gainers and 22 losers.At the open, the Sensex advanced 176.83 points to 80,541.77, quickly hitting an intraday high of 80,677.82 before retreating. Similarly, the Nifty opened stronger by 57.04 points at 24,691.95 and climbed to 24,731.80 before giving up gains.

On Monday, markets had also struggled, with the Sensex closing 61.52 points or 0.08 percent lower at 80,364.94 and the Nifty ending 19.80 points or 0.08 percent down at 24,634.90.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar