The frontline equity indices on the BSE and National Stock Exchange (NSE) slipped over 0.5 per cent lower in the early trade on Tuesday weighed by information technology (IT) and banking stocks, as the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant unnerved investors globally ahead of a bevy of key central bank meetings later this week.
The S&P BSE Sensex dropped 356.6 points to 57,926.82 in opening deals while the Nifty 50 declined 98.35 points to 17,269.90. On the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finance, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), Infosys, HCL Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the top laggards in early deals. On the other hand, Power Grid, ITC, NTPC, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Sun Pharma were among the top gainers.