New Delhi, April 23 -- The Indian stock market opened in the red on Thursday, tracking a cautious mood across Asian peers as elevated crude oil prices and renewed U.S.-Iran tensions dampened investor sentiment. The Nifty 50 slipped around 170 points to 24,200.70 in early deals, down 0.7 per cent, while the BSE Sensex shed over 600 points to hover around 77,850 points. Most sectoral indices opened lower, with Nifty Auto and Nifty Consumer Durables among the worst hit.

The subdued start comes despite record highs in Japan and South Korea, where markets rallied on Wall Street's overnight gains after President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran. Japan's Nikkei 225 briefly touched an all-time intraday high of 60,013.98 before parin...