INDIA STOCKS-Indian benchmarks open flat as financials offset broader gains ahead of key inflation data

Aug 12 (Reuters) - Indian equity benchmarks were muted at the open on Tuesday, as a pullback in financials offset broader gains, while investors await domestic and U.S. inflation data that could influence near-term interest rate expectations.

The Nifty 50 .NSEI fell 0.01% to 24,583.75 points and the BSE Sensex .BSESN lost 0.03% to 80,577.85, as of 9:22 a.m. IST.

Nine of the 16 major sectors logged gains at the open. However, the heaviest weighted financials .NIFTYFIN and banks .NSEBANK lost 0.4% each, after a gain of about 0.9% on Monday on the post-results rally in State Bank of India SBI.NS.

The broader small-caps .NIFSMCP100 and mid-caps .NIFMDCP100 traded flat.

Other Asian markets were tepid, with the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index .MIAPJ0000PUS edging 0.1% higher, as traders reacted little to U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order extending the tariff truce with China by another 90 days.

U.S. consumer prices data, due to be released later in the day, is likely to influence U.S. Federal Reserve's rate-cut trajectory.

Investors also await Indian retail inflation data, set to be released after market hours on Tuesday. Cooling food prices likely reduced retail inflation to an eight-year low of 1.76% in July, a Reuters poll of economists showed.