The markets are marginally lower in opening trades. The Sensex is quoting at 16975, down 25 points and the Nifty is at 5078, down 10 points in opening trades. The mid-cap and small-cap indices are also lacklustre this morning.
The global indices are not going anywhere either. The US markets had a flat session, with the Dow ending weaker by nine points and the Nasdaq closing quiet at 2280. And the Asian markets are lacklustre; Hang Seng has added a mere 18 points, while Nikkei is down three points.
The auto stocks are seen some profit-booking after the stellar returns post the budget. M&M has weakened by 1.2% at Rs 1063 to be the top loser on the BSE. HDFC Bank has shed 1% at Rs 1757 and Infosys has lost 0.8% at Rs 2639. Tata Motors and Maruti have shed 0.5% and 0.1% at Rs 802 and Rs 1475 respectively.
On the other hand, DLF tops the gainers list with returns of 1.6% at Rs 303, followed by Reliance Infra (higher by 0.6% at Rs 1011) and RIL (0.5% at Rs 1027).
The market breadth is positive. Out of 1494 stocks traded on the BSE thus far, there are 919 advancing stocks as against 523 declines.