Mumbai/IBNS, Dec. 18 -- Indian equity benchmarks opened in the red on Thursday, with the BSE Sensex slipping 120 points at the opening bell and the NSE Nifty 50 falling below the 25,800 mark, media reports said.

Among the early gainers were Nippon Life India Asset (up 6.03%), HDFC Asset Management (4.45%), Nuvama Health (2.65%) and UTI Asset Management (2.62%).

On the losing side, Kirloskar Oil Engines declined 4.56%, followed by Ola Electric Mobility (down 3.74%), Indian Oil Corporation (3.34%) and India Cements (3.06%).

HRS Aluglaze shares debuted strongly on the BSE, listing at a 31% premium over their initial public offering (IPO) price.

In the currency market, the rupee recovered 6 paise to trade at 90.35 against the US dollar in...