The key benchmark indices were flat in the early deals amid mixed cues from global markets. The Sensex was up 12 points at 17,208 levels and the Nifty rose 5 points to 5,114.
While some buying interest was seen in power and IT stocks, metal counters were under pressure. The BSE metal index fell 2.1 per cent.
The power index on the BSE gained 0.5 per cent and the IT index rose 0.7 per cent.
Among the Sensex stocks, RCom led the gainers. The stock rose 2.5 per cent. Reliance Infra, TCS and Wipro advanced more than 1 per cent each.
Sterlite Ind, however, was the biggest loser in the pack. The stock plunged more than 7 per cent in early trades.
In US markets, stocks advanced modestly on Thursday as a jump in the price of oil lifted energy companies and offset weakness in bank shares.
The Dow rose 47.08, or 0.5 percent, to 10,062.94, its highest close since Oct. 3 last year. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 4.54, or 0.4 percent, to 1,096.56. The Nasdaq composite index rose 1.06, or 0.1 percent, to 2,173.29.
Asian markets were trading mixed today. Japan’s Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were trading with marginal gains. South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.3 per cent and China’s Shanghai Composite slid 0.5 per cent.