Sensex, Nifty open flat; 1.6 crore Paytm shares sold in block deal
Indian benchmark indices opened flat for the second straight day on Friday. At 9.15 am the Sensex was up 26.49 points or 0.04% at 66,044.30, and the Nifty was up 19.10 points or 0.10% at 19,821.10.
Diverse trends emerged across Asian markets. Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged by 0.97% to 33,775.20, and the TOPIX rose by 0.74% to 2,395.90 after a national holiday. South Korea’s KOSPI fell slightly to 2,511.59, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped by 0.78% to 17,771.75.
Brent crude futures rose in early Asian trade on Friday, reversing losses in the previous session as traders speculated on whether OPEC+ would come to an agreement on further production cuts. US West Texas Intermediate crude slid 38 cents, or 0.5%, to $76.72 from the previous session.
Gold prices edged higher on Friday and were on track for their second consecutive weekly gain, supported by a weaker US dollar as markets grew confident that the Federal Reserve is done with its interest-rate hikes.
US markets were shut on Thursday on account of Thanksgiving. They will be open for half a day of trade today.