Sensex makes a muted start on profit-booking, mixed Asian cues

The BSE Sensex declined about 67 points in early session on Monday, on profit-booking by speculators amid mixed Asian cues on worries over a US-China trade war.

The 30-share flagship index was down 67.80 points, or 0.18%, to 35,621.80.

The gauge had soared 257.21 points in the previous session on Friday. Sectoral indices led by oil and gas, auto, banking, PSU, power and infrastructure stocks fell by up to 0.53%.

The 50-share NSE Nifty turned lower by 20.60 points, or 0.19%, at 10,801.25.

A depreciating rupee, which slipped 29 paise to trade at 68.13 against the US dollar on Monday, made traders all the more nervous.

Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, ITC Ltd, Axis Bank, PowerGrid, Maruti Suzuki, ONGC, HDFC Ltd, NTPC, RIL, Yes Bank, Coal India and SBI slid up to 1.39%.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 1,343.44 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 1,105.76 crore on Friday, as per provisional data.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng weakened 0.49% while Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.34% in early trade. Shanghai Composite Index, however, moved up 0.17%.

US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.49% higher on Friday.