First Trade: Sensex and Nifty open steady with Infosys, HDFC Life among top gainers

Market Opening Bell: Indian markets opened on a steady note on August 14, showing little movement despite mixed signals from global markets. The Sensex gained 84.44 points, or 0.10 per cent, to trade at 80,624.35, while the Nifty rose 26.15 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 24,645.50.

Market breadth was positive, with 1,352 shares advancing compared to 873 declines and 150 unchanged.

Among the Nifty stocks, Infosys, HDFC Life, Wipro, Adani Ports, and Apollo Hospitals led the gainers. On the downside, Bharat Electronics, ONGC, Reliance Industries, Hero MotoCorp, and Eternal saw selling pressure.

Nifty Pharma index is leading the gains on the NSE with 0.87 per cent gain, followed by the Nifty IT index (up 0.76 per cent). The Nifty Financial Services index, too, is trading higher. 

Among the broader market indices, Nifty MidCap 100 and SmallCap 100 were up 0.3 per cent each. On the data front, India will release its wholesale price index (WPI) for July. Globally, producer price index (PPI) data for July and initial jobless claims for August will be released by the US.