Equity markets witnessed significant volatility in early trading on Monday, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty both facing downward pressure due to weak trends in Asian markets, particularly amid a sell-off in key stocks like Infosys and ICICI Bank.

The 30-share BSE Sensex initially opened higher but quickly succumbed to selling pressure, dropping by 151.36 points or 0.19 percent, to settle at 81,557.76 points in the early trade. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty also opened with gains but quickly turned negative, losing 37.45 points or 0.15 percent, reaching 24,640.35 points.