Sensex opens in red

The Sensex opened 27 points lower. The index is now down 43 points at 17,511.

The Nifty is down 17 points at 5,235.

Asian markets are mostly down this morning. Hang Seng and Nikkei are down around 200 points each.

The US markets too ended weak on Friday, with the Dow slipping 100 points.