Sensex 150 points lower, Nifty below 22,450: Will downward trend continue? What to expect next?

Indian equity indices opened marginally lower today (April 2) after hitting a fresh record high in the previous session on April 1.

The downward trend came amid declines in IT and financial stocks as BSE Sensex traded 166 points or 0.22% lower at 73,848 while Nifty50 was at 22,432, down 30 points or 0.13%. Nifty Smallcap100 rose by 0.5%, while Nifty Midcap100 surged by 0.34%.

Which stocks gained in early trade?
IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, Titan, and Reliance Industries opened with gains. Adani Ports rose 3.5% while Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail shares traded 15% higher after the company said that it was planning to demerge Madura Fashion & Lifestyle into a separate listed entity.

Which stocks opened with cuts in early trade?
ICICI Bank, JSW Steel, Bajaj Finance, Wipro, and TCS opened with cuts in early trade.

Which sectors opened with gains and which lost in early trade?
Nifty IT declined by 0.5%, and Nifty Healthcare dropped by 0.36% while Nifty Auto, Media, Metal, PSU Bank, Realty, Consumer Durables, and Oil & Gas opened with gains.

Stock market today: What about global markets?
Asian markets opened higher as MSCI Asia ex-Japan index added 0.69% while Wall Street equities closed mixed overnight.

What about oil prices today?
Read more: Adani Power share price jumps 5% for 2nd consecutive day: What’s happening?
Oil prices gained in early Asian trading as Brent futures for June delivery rose 37 cents to $87.79 a barrel and May contract for US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 32 cents to $84.03 a barrel.