Dec 2 (Reuters) - India's equity benchmarks opened lower on Tuesday, as profit-taking in financials offset modest gains elsewhere, still keeping blue-chip indexes within striking distance of record highs for a fourth straight session.
The Nifty fell 0.24% to 26,114.4 and Sensex lost 0.26% to 85,411.54, as of 9:31 a.m. IST.
Eleven of the 16 major sectors logged gains at the open. The broader small-caps fell 0.3%, while mid-caps rose 0.2%.
High weightage financials lost 0.7%, dragged down-by top private lender HDFC Bank which fell 1.3%. Financials had risen 2.8% in the last four weeks.
The Nifty and Sensex have scaled new peaks after 14 months, rising about 0.5% each to record highs of 26,325.80 and 86,159.02, respectively on Monday, but struggled to hold on to gains due to profit-booking.
The consolidation near record high levels indicates that markets await the U.S.-India trade deal and delivery on the earnings promise in the current quarter to sustain the ongoing rally, two analysts said.
(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
