New Delhi, Sept. 17 -- India's benchmark indices opened flat with a negative bias on Thursday, as an interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve and stubbornly high global crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiment. At the same time, all eyes are on the highly anticipated NSE IPO.

At 9:15 am, the 30-share S&P BSE Sensex fell 0.21% to 74,182.62 points, even as the wider NSE Nifty 50 shed 0.1% to 23,195.25. The indices were little changed as of 9:45 am. Eight out of the 16 major sectoral indices logged losses at the open, while the broader mid-cap and small-cap gauges traded flat. The Nifty IT index fell 0.5% as highes US borrowing costs threaten to dampen software spending and demand in their primary geographic market.

The cautious ...