The key benchmark indices were trading lower in the early deals today. The Sensex was down 134 points to trade at 15,778 levels and the Nifty fell 0.7 per cent to 4,675.
IT and oil & gas stocks were under some pressure. Among the Sensex stocks, Tata Power led the losers. The stock fell 2.2 per cent in early trades. ITC, Hero Honda and RIL also shed over 1 per cent each.
In the US markets, a late-day slump left stocks mixed on Wednesday as investors couldn't hold on to their optimism after the Federal Reserve gave an encouraging assessment of the economy.
The Dow Jones industrial average, up more than 150 points after the Fed described the economy as showing more signs of recovery, closed up 30 points at 9,802.14.
The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.09, or 0.1 percent, to 1,046.50. The Nasdaq composite index fell 1.80, or 0.1 percent, to 2,055.52.
After yesterday’s bounce back, key Asian indices fell today. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.9 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei dropped 1.3 per cent.