Sensex falls 130 points, Nifty slips below 12,250 as markets open

MUMBAI: The S&P benchmark Sensex fell nearly 130 points, while the Nifty slipped below 12,250 mark as the markets opened on Friday. Around 10 am, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex dipped nearly 140 points, or 0.34 per cent, to around 41,480 levels. Asian Paints (down 1%), and Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank (both down 0.8%) were the top laggards in the Sensex pack.

On the other hand, ONGC gained over 3 per cent.

The broader Nifty50 index slipped 37 points, or 0.3 per cent, to hover around 12,245 levels.

All the Nifty sectoral indices except Nifty IT and Nifty Realty indexes were trading in the red. The list of losers was led by Nifty Metal index which bled 0.8 per cent.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index dipped 16 points, or 0.1 per cent, while the S&P BSE SmallCap index was up 39 points, or 0.28 per cent.

Oil prices jumped more than USD on Friday after a US airstrike killed key Iranian and Iraqi military personnel, raising concerns that escalating Middle East tensions may disrupt oil supplies, Reuters reported.

Brent crude futures climbed USD 1.23 at USD 67.48 a barrel.