Sensex-Nifty start lower amid global weakness

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 6 : In sync with subdued sentiments prevailing in the global market, India's stock market indices, Sensex and Nifty, initiated trading on Wednesday on a lower note.
The early trends in Gift Nifty also point towards a negative start for the Indian benchmark index, reflecting the cautious mood among investors.
At the opening bell, the Sensex was down by 103.77 points, commencing at 73,573.37, while the Nifty 50 exhibited a decline of 36.35 points, starting at 22,319.95.
This early dip in the indices hinted at the prevailing bearish sentiment influencing market dynamics.
Among the Nifty companies, the market witnessed 16 advances and 34 declines, reflecting a mixed performance across sectors.
Notable gainers included SBI Life, Bajaj Auto, Coal India, Reliance, and Kotak Bank, while Apollo Hospitals, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Wipro, and Dr. Reddy were among the top losers.
Varun Aggarwal, founder and managing director, Profit Idea, said, "The Nifty 50 displayed a small negative candle on the daily chart with minor upper and lower shadows, suggesting a minor downward correction with heightened volatility. However, positive chart patterns like higher tops and bottoms remain intact, indicating the potential for a sustainable upside bounce from lower levels."
Scrutinizing the Nifty Open Interest (OI) data, the highest OI on the call side was observed at 22,500 and 22,800 strike prices, while the maximum OI on the put side was at the 22,200 strike price.
For a potential rally towards 22,600 and beyond, Nifty 50 needs to decisively breach the 21,400 level, with support positioned at 22,200.
In Asian markets, caution prevails as equities eased on Wednesday. Chinese stocks faced declines as investors expressed disappointment over the lack of significant stimulus measures from Beijing.
Meanwhile, Wall Street's major indexes experienced retreats of over 1 per cent overnight, influenced by weakness in megacap growth companies like Apple and the chip sector, particularly impacting the tech-heavy Nasdaq.
Investors worldwide are closely monitoring US economic data and policymakers' speeches to ascertain the timing of potential rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell's testimony on Wednesday holds significant importance, with market participants eagerly anticipating his insights, albeit expecting him to maintain his current stance.