Sensex, Nifty opens flat in early trade, slips over 700points

India’s benchmark indices remained muted in early trade on Thursday, with buying seen in the realty sector. The Sensex dropped 750 points, or 0.85 percent, to 79,546.06, while the Nifty fell by 184 points, or 0.76 percent, to 24,091.25 as of 11 AM. Market sentiment was positive, with 1,792 stocks advancing and 464 declining on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Nifty Bank rose by 224.35 points, or 0.43 percent, to 52,526.15 among sectoral indices. The Nifty Midcap 100 index gained 381.35 points, or 0.68 percent, reaching 56,653.70, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 added 165.30 points, or 0.89 percent, to stand at 18,668.15.

Top gainers included Hindustan Unilever, ITC, HDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Nestle India, and Adani Ports. The major laggards were Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Power Grid, TCS, M&M, and Bajaj Finance.

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Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 7.78 crore on Wednesday, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 1,301.97 crore. Across broader Asian markets, Seoul and Japan were trading higher, while China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Jakarta were in the red. US markets declined in the previous session.

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