Indian markets opened on a mixed note on Thursday, July 24, tracking positive global cues, but saw early pressure in key indices.

At open, the Nifty 50 touched 25,250, but soon pared gains and was trading nearly flat with a positive bias at 25,225. The BSE Sensex slipped 30 points or 0.04 per cent to 82,696.71.

In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap 100 index dipped 0.14 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 fell 0.07 per cent, indicating cautious sentiment among mid and small caps.

On the sectoral front, Nifty IT was the top drag, down 1.1 per cent, followed by declines in Nifty Bank, Media, Realty, and Oil & Gas. However, pockets of strength were visible in Auto, FMCG, Metal, Pharma, and Consumer Durables, which opened in the green.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, Trent, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, and TCS were among the top laggards on the Sensex, while Tata Motors, Eternal, Tata Steel, and Sun Pharma emerged as the leading gainers.

Meanwhile, the Indian rupee opened 8 paise stronger at Rs 86.33 per dollar, compared to Wednesday’s close of Rs 86.41/$.

Stocks in focus for the day include Infosys, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Tata Consumer Products, Cigniti Technologies, Force Motors, Natco Pharma, IndusInd Bank, BEML, and Tilaknagar Industries, amid earnings and sectoral cues.