Equity benchmarks have begun the day on a lower note, with the Sensex falling nearly 150 points. The Nifty is below 10,850-mark.

Bank Nifty and the midcap index are in the red, while pain is visible among automobiles, metals, and pharmaceuticals.

The Sensex is down 146.02 points or 0.40% at 36108.55, and the Nifty down 65.80 points or 0.60% at 10844.30. The market breadth is narrow as 241 shares advanced, against a decline of 210 shares, while 34 shares were unchanged.

NTPC, Wipro, HDFC and Bharti Airtel gained the most, while Tata Motors, Vedanta, Eicher Motors and JSW Steel lost the most