Sensex falls 70 points in early trade

The broader NSE Nifty slipped 37.45 points.

Equity benchmark Sensex declined nearly 70 points in opening trade on Wednesday, tracking losses in index majors Maruti, M&M and Kotak Mahindra Bank amid a positive trend in Asian markets.

The 30-share BSE benchmark fell 69.26 points to 58,067.10 in early trade. The broader NSE Nifty slipped 37.45 points to 17,308.

Among the Sensex constituents, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, ITC and Nestle were among the laggards in early deals.

On the other hand, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finserv, Bharti Airtel and Axis Bank were the major gainers.

In Asia, markets in Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong were trading higher.

The US markets had ended lower on Tuesday.

"Strong Asian market cues are expected to help key benchmarks advance further in early trade Wednesday, despite a fall in the US markets in overnight trades.