Sensex Falls Over 200 Points, Nifty Trades Below 16,450; Consumer Goods, Auto Stocks Drag

Indian equity benchmarks on Thursday traded lower in opening deals amid weak cues from the global markets.

Indian equity benchmarks on Thursday traded lower in opening deals amid weak cues from the global markets. Asian share markets fell -- tracking overnight weakness in U.S. stocks -- as investors worried over high inflation, fanning recession fears.

Trends on the Nifty Futures on Singapore Exchange (SGX Nifty) indicated a gap-down start for the domestic indices.

The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 209 points or 0.38 per cent to 55,172, while the broader NSE Nifty moved 74 points or 0.45 per cent up to trade at 16,449.

Mid- and small-cap shares were slightly positive as Nifty Midcap 100 and small-cap edged 0.08 per cent higher, respectively.