Stock Market Updates: Both indices have taken a breather after breaking a series of records.
Domestic stock markets started Friday's session mildly higher, ahead of the announcement of the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy decision due today. The S&P BSE Sensex index opened 33.26 points - or 0.07 per cent - higher at 44,665.91, whereas the broader NSE Nifty 50 benchmark began the day at 13,177.40, up 43.50 points - or 0.33 per cent - from its previous close. Both indices have taken a breather after breaking a series of records, having hit all-time highs as recently as Thursday.
At 9:22 am, the Sensex traded 158.53 points - or 0.36 per cent - higher at 44,791.18 and the Nifty was up 56.80 points - or 0.43 per cent - at 13,190.70.
UltraTech, GAIL, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors and Adani Ports - trading between 1.65 per cent and 3.61 per cent - were the top gainers in the Nifty basket of 50 shares.
Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Reliance Industries and SBI, down 0.23-1.18 per cent each, were the worst hit among eight laggards in the index.
Analysts expect the central bank's Monetary Policy Committee to hold the key interest rates steady at existing levels amid high inflation and shrinking gross domestic product (GDP).
Official data released last Friday showed the country's GDP shrank a better-than-expected 7.5 per cent in the July-September period, in a pickup from a record contraction of 23.9 per cent in the previous quarter.
