Markets trade flat ahead of RBI minutes; Nifty holds above 9,600

Muted trend in Asian markets following a renewed slump in oil prices also impacted the sentiment

The benchmark indices fell on Wednesday as investors waited for minutes of a June policy meet by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to gauge the direction of interest rates in the months ahead.

On the global front, muted trend seen in Asian markets following a renewed slump in oil prices to seven-month lows, also impacted the sentiment. Investors also decoded the impact of a decision by US index provider MSCI to add mainland Chinese stocks to one of its popular benchmarks.

At 2:00 pm, the S&P BSE Sensex was trading at 31,202, down 94 points, while the broader Nifty50