The trends on Gift Nifty also indicate a flat-to-positive start for the Indian benchmark index. The Gift Nifty was trading around 22,467 level, a premium of nearly 26 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close.

From a 2024 peak of 26,277, Indian benchmark Nifty has dropped 14 per cent, marking the sixth-largest drop since the 2008-2009 Great Recession and the second-largest since the Covid-led crash in March 2020.

The 30-share BSE Sensex opened below the 73,000 mark at 72,817.34, down 268.6 points from the previous session’s closing. The broader Nifty 50 index opened at 21,974.45