Mumbai: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Thursday opened nearly 79 points low on selling by funds and retail investors, on the back of poor quarter earnings from ONGC and Hero Honda and weak global cues.

The 30-share index, which had gained 34.63 points in the previous session, shed 78.85 points or 0.43 per cent, to 17,913.15 points with stocks of auto, banking and realty sectors retreating.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty fell by 25.40 or 0.46 per cent to 5,383.50 points.

Brokers said sentiments turned somewhat weak on the first session of new settlement in the derivatives segment after ONGC, Hero Honda and SAIL posted dip in their net profits for the quarter ending June 30, triggering selling by funds.

Besides, weak trend on the other Asian bourses following overnight losses in the US markets also kept pressure, they said.

ONGC stocks traded 0.99 per cent down at Rs 1,230.15 after dipping to Rs 1,221.10, while top motorcycle makers, Hero Honda fell by 2 per cent to Rs 1,833.05 after declining to Rs 1,790.65.

Other losers were SAIL fell by 0.81 per cent to Rs 203.20, Infosys Technologies by 0.47 per cent to Rs 2,820.95, Tata Motors by 1.44 per cent to Rs 853.20, SBI by 0.38 per cent to Rs 2,463.90, ICICI Bank by 0.82 per cent to Rs 918.90, HDFC Bank by 0.76 per cent to Rs 2,086, DLF Ltd by 0.44 per cent to Rs 307.95 and TCS by 0.69 per cent to Rs 844.

However, Reliance's RIL stocks recovered by 0.96 per cent to Rs 1020.20 after two days decline of over 4 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 0.59 per cent, while Japanese Nikkei down 1.50 per cent in the morning trade on Thursday.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Averaged ended 0.29 per cent down in yesterday's trade.