Sensex, Nifty gain marginally; FMCG, Auto, Metal, O&G under pressure

Indian benchmark indices BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 were mixed and muted after open on Tuesday, as global cues weighed on market sentiment.

At 10:00 AM, the BSE Sensex was at 81,790.94, up 0.11 per cent, while the Nifty 50 was at 25,026 levels, up 0.07 per cent.

That apart, the S&P 500 finished lower on Monday, while investors awaited inflation data for clues about the path of interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq also declined, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average was supported by gains of about 1 per cent each in Caterpillar and American Express and finished just slightly up.

The S&P 500 declined 0.32 per cent to end the session at 5,616.84 points.

The Nasdaq declined 0.85 per cent to 17,725.77 points, while Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.16 per cent to 41,240.52 points.

Asia-Pacific markets largely fell on Tuesday morning, despite the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Wall Street reaching new highs. Traders in Asia will also look toward China’s year-to-date industrial profits as of July.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was 0.35 per cent lower, while the broad-based Topix was flat.

South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.42 per cent, while the small cap Kosdaq saw a larger loss of 1.14 per cent.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.13 per cent, the only major Asia-Pacific index in positive territory. The index is close to breaching its all time closing high of 8,114.7, set on Aug. 1.

Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 17,694, lower than the HSI’s last close of 17,798.73.

Late Monday, oil prices continued to rise after Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes over the weekend, with US West Texas Intermediate crude climbing 3.5 per cent to close at $77.42 per barrel and Brent crude up 3.05% at $81.43 a barrel, its highest in about two weeks.

Oil prices later pared some gains on Tuesday, with WTI futures trading at $77.16 and Brent at $81.23.