Sensex, Nifty slip in early trade as crude stays high and IT drags

Markets opened lower on Tuesday as elevated crude oil prices and selling in IT stocks weighed on sentiment. The Sensex fell 281.95 points to 73,316.21 and the Nifty dropped 63.15 points to 22,694.60 in early trade. Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech and Hindustan Unilever lagged, while Bharat Electronics and Maruti gained. Brent crude traded near $115 a barrel.