Mumbai, Nov 24 (IANS) A key Indian equities index gave up its gains Tuesday morning after opening in the green and was ruling on a flat note in early trade -- about 0.23 percent down from its previous close.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened the day at 17,230.86 points, against Monday's close at 17,180.18 points but soon fell to 17,140.22 points, down 0.23 percent or 39.96 points in about 30 minutes of trading.

Around the same time, at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was ruling at 5,094.2 points, against the previous close at 5,103.55 points, with a loss of 0.18 percent.

Broader market indices were however holding up with the BSE midcap index up 0.62 percent and the BSE small cap index ruling 0.64 percent higher.