Mumbai, March 15 -- The stock market commenced trading on Friday with a flat sentiment, but soon slipped into the red zone, tracking weak global cues.

The benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, witnessed a downward trend at the opening bell, influenced by international market trends.

The Sensex opened 247.70 points down at 72,956.54, while the Nifty began trading 68.95 points lower at 22,102.95.

Among the Nifty companies, 14 advanced while 36 declined in early trading. Notable gainers included Power Grid, NTPC, UPL, ONGC, and Tata Motors. Conversely, BPCL, Infosys, M&M, Hrasim, and LTIMindtree were among the top losers.

Varun Aggarwal, founder and managing director, Profit Idea said, "Despite the bearish trend witnessed in the previous ...