Mumbai, May 4 (IANS): The key Indian equity indices traded lower on Friday afternoon noting losses in the global markets.

Heavy selling was witnessed in the auto, healthcare and IT stocks.

At 12.40 p.m., the wider Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) traded at 10,627.55 points, down by 52.10 points or 0.49 per cent from the previous close.

Similarly, the barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 35,144.96 points, traded at 34,932.26 points (12.40 p.m.) - down 170.88 points or 0.49 per cent -- from its previous session's close.

The Sensex has so far touched a high of 35,206.55 and a low of 34891.09 points.

The BSE market breadth was bearish with 1,378 declines and 1,040 advances.

"Sensex and Nifty traded lower on Friday, tracking losses in global equities. Asian stocks opened lower, as investors are closely monitoring implications of ongoing trade talks between the US and China," said Dhruv Desai, Director and Chief Operating Officer, Tradebulls.

So far, the major gainers on the BSE were Adani Ports, IndusInd Bank, ONGC, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and while Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Auto, Infosys and Yes Bank were the major losers.

On the NSE, the top gainers were Adani Ports, GAIL and ONGC. The major losers were Sun Pharma, Infosys and Bajaj Auto.

On Thursday, the equity indices fell due to disappointing quarterly results, along with heavy selling pressure in capital goods, IT and FMCG stocks.

The Nifty50 closed at 10,679.65 points -- down 38.40 points or 0.36 per cent -- from the previous session's close, while the Sensex closed at 35,103.14 points -- down 73.28 points or 0.21 per cent -- from its previous close.