BENGALURU (Reuters) -Indian shares opened lower on Friday, weighed down by information technology stocks, while Adani-backed Ambuja Cements surged on acquiring rival Penna Cement Industries.
The NSE Nifty 50 was down 0.20% at 23,353.05, while the S&P BSE Sensex shed 0.25% to 76,622.15, as of 9:26 a.m. IST.
The Nifty has gained about 0.3% so far this week, hitting record highs in three of the five sessions and building on the 3.4% jump last week after the results of the national elections ensured political continuity.
IT stocks dropped 0.75% after gaining 1% in the previous session on renewed expectations that U.S. interest rate cuts are imminent.
Ten of the 13 major sectors logged losses.
Ambuja Cements gained 2.5% after acquiring smaller rival Penna Cement Industries for 104.22 billion rupees ($1.25 billion), bolstering its presence in India’s southern region. The stock was the top gainer in the Nifty Next 50 index, which is up 0.5%.
The Nifty Next 50 represents 50 companies from Nifty 100 after excluding Nifty 50 companies.
The broader, more domestically-focussed small- and mid-caps, which also closed at record highs in the previous session, remained muted on the day.
($1 = 83.5510 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza and Sonia Cheema)
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