(Reuters) -India’s stock benchmarks were flat at the open on Tuesday, pausing after two sessions of profit-taking near record highs, with analysts expecting further consolidation ahead of monthly derivatives expiry and key U.S. data.
The Nifty 50 fell 0.05% to 25,942.9, while the BSE Sensex was down 0.09% at 84,804.27, as of 9:15 a.m. IST.
Nine of the 16 major sectors declined at the open. The broader small-caps and mid-caps traded flat.
Both the benchmarks fell about 0.4% on Monday, bringing their two-session losses to just short of 1%. They are now trading about 1.3% below all-time highs hit in September 2024.
While markets remain broadly positive on improving earnings outlook, investors awaited progress on trade talks with the U.S. to drive a fresh rally to record high levels.
Volatility is likely to be elevated ahead of the November series’ derivatives expiry on Tuesday, as well as U.S. inflation reading due on Wednesday.
($1 = 89.1070 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
