Market LIVE updates: Sensex, Nifty hold marginal gains; IT index rises 2%

Live market updates: The domestic benchmark indices pared some of the early morning gains, as market participants pondered over the likely impact on unabated surge in crude oil prices. Brent Crude was seen trading past the $117 per barrel-mark. 

The BSE Sensex was up by less than 100 points to 55,500 levels, while the NSE Nifty50 index was now up 20-odd points around 16,600 levels.

On the Sensex, IT stocks Tech Mahindra, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Infosys were the top gainers, up to 3 per cent each. On the downside, Asian Paints, Ultratech Cement, Kotak Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank were the top losers. 

The broader markets were outperforming the benchmarks, with the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices up 0.5 and 1 per cent higher, respectively. 

Sectorally, Nifty Bank, Auto and Financials slipped into red, paring all the opening gains. Nifty IT, Oil & Gas and Metals were the leading gainers, upto 1.6 per cent higher.