11.03.202604:14:57UTC+00Indian Equities Start Day Lower

India’s BSE Sensex slipped 0.2% to around 78,099 on Wednesday, giving up earlier gains as trade remained choppy amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Crude oil prices continued to soften, and strong buying by domestic institutional investors helped partly counter sustained selling by foreign investors.

Attention is now on India’s February inflation reading, due Thursday, which is expected to come in at 3.1%, up from 2.75% in January. Investors are also tracking several key stocks: InterGlobe Aviation after the resignation of its CEO, Polycab India following a reduction in its tax demand, and Infosys after it announced an AI partnership with Incora.

Despite the headline index moving lower, most sectors opened in positive territory. Exceptions included financials, technology, consumer non-durables, communication, and health services, which started the session in the red. Among early outperformers were Shakti Pumps (+10%), Tejas Network (+4.3%), Happiest Minds (+2.9%), and Mazagon Dock (+2.3%). Notable decliners included Redington (-2.8%), Polycab India (-1.2%), HDFC Bank (-0.7%), and ICICI Bank (-0.5%).