Markets have opened on a flat note with a slight positive bias on Friday. The indecisive start is on account of mixed cues from the US markets. Even the Asian markets are uncertain.
Among the BSE sectoral indices, BSE Pharma index was up 0.8%, BSE Consumer Durables index up 0.6% and BSE Capital Goods index up 0.4%. The Mid-Cap and the Small-Cap index have added 0.5% each.
Among the 30 components of Sensex 24 are in the positive terrain and 6 were in the red. Bharti Airtel, L&T, SBI, ONGC and TCS were among the major gainers. On the other hand, HDFC, Infosys, ICICI Bank and ITC were among the major laggards.
At 9:12 am (IST), the BSE 30-share Sensex was up 26 points at 17,543 and NSE Nifty was up 5 points at 5,251.
Buying in select blue chips helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average notch up its eighth straight gain and the highest close in nearly 18 months. But, the broader market struggled as investors were reluctant after the recent spurt.
The Dow added 45 points, or 0.2%, at 10,779.17, ending at the highest point since Oct. 1, 2008. The Dow has now ended higher for eighth straight sessions - matching the winning streak that ended on Aug. 27 of last year.
The S&P 500 index ended almost unchanged at 1,165.83 after finishing the previous session at its highest point since Sept. 26, 2008. The Nasdaq Composite index also finished virtually flat at 2,391.28, ending at the highest point since Aug. 28, 2008, nearly 19 months.
European stocks ended a choppy session slightly lower. The Stoxx 600 Europe Index slipped 0.1% to settle at 261.20 after closing at a fresh annual high on Wednesday.
The U.K. FTSE 100 Index ended just 2.01 points lower at 5,642.62, the German DAX Index declined 0.2% to finish at 6,012.31 and the French CAC-40 Index settled off 0.5% at 3,938.18.