Mumbai, Dec 18 (Inditop.com) A key Indian equities index opened weak Friday and was ruling about 51 points lower, within five minutes of trade.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened at 16,855.91 points and was ruling at 16,842.72 points, down 51.53 points or 0.31 percent from its previous close at 16,894.25 points, within five minutes of trade.

Around the same time, at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was at 5,024.1 points, against the previous close at 5,041.75 points, a loss of 0.35 percent.

Broader market indices were ruling flat, with the BSE midcap index down 0.24 percent and the BSE small cap index ruling 0.06 percent higher.