Indian equity markets opened lower for the second straight day today(20th July 2021) as investors turned pessimists over the rising Delta variant of Covid-19 cases globally, fear of possible lockdown, and the impact of rising inflation on economic recovery.
The S&P BSE Sensex quoted at 52,351 levels in early deals, down 202 points while the Nifty was at 15,715, down 37 points. In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices were mixed.
In global markets, equities fell in Japan, Australia, and South Korea on Tuesday but the drops were orderly. Japan’s Topix index fell 1%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.9% and South Korea’s Kospi index fell lost 0.4%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures, meanwhile, gained 0.4% each.
Thirty-three companies, including Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Crisil, and Network 18 are slated to post their June quarter results today.