Mumbai, April 7 -- Domestic equity benchmarks opened sharply lower, rattled by a mix of global and domestic headwinds. Investor sentiment weakened after fresh geopolitical tensions emerged following U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed threats toward Iran, which in turn pushed oil prices higher and added to market anxiety. The market may stay volatile due to the weekly expiry of Nifty 50 contracts, the first in the April series. Amid this, the Nifty fell below the 22,900 level in early trade.

Sectoral performance remained mixed. Auto, PSU banking, and consumer durables stocks came under selling pressure, while metals, media, and IT shares managed to post gains, offering some support to the broader market.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer in...