Buy or sell stocks, July 9 -- Amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran and a sharp rise in crude oil prices, the Indian stock market opened on a weak note in early trade on Wednesday. Selling pressure intensified as the session progressed, with the benchmark indices plunging more than 2%, while 13 of the 16 major sectoral indices ended in the red.

The Nifty 50 opened lower at 24,259 and slipped to an intraday low before closing at 23,897, down nearly 500 points for the day. Similarly, the BSE Sensex started with a gap-down opening at 77,816, fell to an intraday low of 76,259, and eventually settled at 76,522, marking a decline of 1,658 points.

Nifty 50 opened on a weak note at 24,259.55, around 139.15 points lower than the previ...