Mumbai: The Indian equity benchmark indices opened flat on Wednesday amid mixed global cues, with early buying seen in the auto and PSU Bank sectors.

At approximately 9:28 am, the Sensex was trading 22.30 points or 0.03% higher at 74,080.02, while the Nifty added 24.65 points or 0.11% to reach 22,473.25.

The Nifty Bank index was up 231.40 points or 0.48% at 47,867.05. The Nifty Midcap 100 index stood at 48,904.40, climbing 141.65 points or 0.29%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 index rose by 52.85 points or 0.35%, reaching 15,128.75.

Market analysts suggest that, after the flat opening, the Nifty could find support at 22,400, followed by 22,300 and 22,200. On the upside, 22,600 may serve as immediate resistance, with 22,700 and 22,800 acting as subsequent resistance levels.

"Given the ongoing volatility, traders are advised to exercise caution, implement strict stop-loss strategies, and avoid carrying overnight positions," said Hardik Matalia of Choice Broking.

In the Sensex pack, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, Zomato, PowerGrid, Sun Pharma, and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the top gainers. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Infosys, HCLTech, and TCS were among the top losers.

According to market analysts, investors should consider two key factors for the near-term trend in stock markets. Globally, markets remain weak and volatile due to concerns over tariff policy uncertainties. These concerns are expected to persist and may worsen as reciprocal tariffs come into effect in early April, making a sustained global market recovery unlikely. In fact, further declines are anticipated.

In the previous trading session, the Dow Jones dropped 1.14% to close at 41,433.48, while the S&P 500 declined 0.76% to 5,572.07, and the Nasdaq fell 0.18% to 17,436.10.

In Asian markets, Japan, Seoul, and Jakarta were trading in the green, while Bangkok, China, and Hong Kong were in the red.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued their selling trend on March 11, offloading equities worth Rs 2,823.76 crore. Conversely, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) continued their buying activity, purchasing equities worth Rs 2,001.79 crore on the same day.