Opening Bell: Tracing mixed global cues, markets open on a flat note

India VIX contracted over 3.9 per cent trading at 20.81 in the initial hour of the trading session.

On Monday, domestic benchmark indices opened on a flat note. After nine straight sessions of trading higher, Asian stocks also opened lower on Monday as investors kept an eye on developments in Ukraine. Rising cases in China is making the world cautious, leading to a decline in crude prices. The dollar also rose on the back of geopolitical worries

At 09:16 am, the Sensex was up 5.67 points or 0.01 per cent at 57367.87 level, and the Nifty was up 6.80 points or 0.04 per cent at 17159.80. About 1271 shares have advanced, 778 shares declined, and 129 shares are unchanged. India VIX contracted over 3.9 per cent trading at 20.81 in the initial hour of the trading session.

Cipla, Tata Consumer Products, Bajaj Auto, Maruti Suzuki and UltraTech Cement were among major gainers on the Nifty, while losers were HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC, Hindalco Industries and HDFC Life. At 9.20 am the top gainers among the Sensex stocks consisted of Maruti Suzuki, Ultratech Cement, Titan Company, Bharti Airtel and Wipro whereas top losers included HDFC Bank, Kotak Bank, HDFC, TCS and Dr Reddy's Laboratories.

In the broader markets, at 9.50 am, BSE Midcap index traded at 23,632.82 level, 0.66 per cent down while BSE Smallcap index at 27,618.94 level, 0.65 per cent lower. In the BSE Midcap index, the top gaining stocks outperforming the index were Adani Power, Oberoi Realty, Godrej Properties, Cummins India and AU Small Finance Bank whereas in the BSE Smallcap index, Inox Leisure, GFL Limited, EIH Associated Hotels, Foseco India and Lemon Tree Hotels.

On the sectoral front, all the indices were trading flat except BSE Consumer Durables index plunging 1.21 per cent. Rajesh Exports, Vaibhav Global, Voltas, Havells India and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail were the stocks dragging the consumer durables index losing up to 3 per cent.