Indian benchmark indices, NSE Nifty and BSE Sensex, opened lower but are inching up to positive territory, indicating consolidation in the markets as the indices approach important milestones of 85,000 and 26,000, respectively.

The Nifty opened flat at 25,921.45 points, marginally down by 17.20 points or 0.07% on Tuesday, while Sensex opened lower by 65.81 points or 0.09% at 84,860.73.

The markets are taking a breather after a three-day rally, remaining muted in the opening trading session but are expected to inch up with positive cues from broader Asia markets. These markets have recorded gains following the announcement of stimulus measures from China's Central Bank.

On Nifty, Market breadth remained positive, with 1,414 stocks advancing, while 993 declined, and 68 remained unchanged. A total of 2,475 stocks were traded in early trade after the opening bell. Most broad market indices traded positively on Nifty, led by healthcare, metal, and oil segments. However, in sectoral indices, IT, FMCG, and realty segments were trading in red, and Bank Nifty remained muted.

Top gainers included Tata Steel, which gained 3.44% to trade at ₹159.28, followed by Hindalco, up 2.48% at ₹707.7. JSW Steel climbed 1.82% to ₹1000, Power Grid was up by 1.55% at ₹346.45, and HDFC Bank gained 0.99%, trading at ₹1777.2.

On the losing side, Hindustan Unilever was down by 1.40%, trading at ₹2986.1, followed by HDFC Life, which dropped 1.15% to ₹719.15. LTIM was down 1.06% at ₹6259, Infosys fell by 0.95%, trading at ₹1878.4, and Bajaj Finance also dipped by 0.95%, trading at ₹7523.

The markets in Asia-Pacific region climbed in early trade today, led by Chinese stocks, as Beijing announced a slew of policy easing measures to meet the country's economic growth target expectations for the year.

The Central Bank of China announced a cut in short-term interest rates and borrowing costs and said they are studying the feasibility of setting up a stock stabilization fund as part of a package of policy measures to revive the Chinese economy.

Chinese shares surged with the Shanghai Composite climbing 2.28% or 65.38 points, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong surged about 600 points or 2.38%, trading at 18,845.37. Japan's Nikkei rose by 295 points or 0.8%, and South Korea's KOSPI Composite was trading up by 1.73%.