Sensex slips into red, down 78pts

Despite a 175-point positive start for the Sensex, the index has slipped into the negative zone and is now down 78 points at 17,271.

The NSE Nifty is down 12 points at 5,099.

ONGC and Grasim have rallied 1.5% each to Rs 1,014 and Rs 2,838, respectively.

Wipro has moved up 1.3% to Rs 428. BHEL, Hindustan Unilever and ITC have advanced over 1% each to Rs 2,082, Rs 218 and Rs 202, respectively.

TCS and Maruti are also up almost 1% each at Rs 906 and Rs 774, respectively.

HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank have tumbled around 3% each to Rs 1,427 and Rs 1,067, respectively.

Bajaj Auto has shed 2.6% at Rs 2,235, and Tata Steel has dropped 2% to Rs 788.