Indian markets traded cautiously Tuesday afternoon with both headline indices in negative territory. The Sensex declined 294.51 points or 0.38 percent to 77,009.12, while the Nifty 50 slipped 60.35 points or 0.25 percent to 24,032.35. Energy stocks emerged as standout performers, driven by elevated crude oil prices trading in the $105-110 per barrel range. ONGC led Nifty gainers with a 3.99 percent rise to ₹297.30 on heavy volumes, while Coal India gained 3.18 percent to ₹466.90. However, banking and IT sectors faced broad selling pressure, with Axis Bank declining 2.35 percent and HCL Technologies slipping 2.12 percent. Market breadth remained broadly positive with 2,079 stocks advancing against 1,382 declines on the BSE.
