(Updates for market open)

March 21 (Reuters) - India's benchmark indexes inched

lower at the open on Friday, weighed down by losses in IT stocks

as Accenture ( ACN ) warned of constrained discretionary spending in the

United States.

The NSE Nifty 50 was down 0.1% at 23,168.25,

while the BSE Sensex lost 0.25% to 76,155.00, as of

9:15 a.m. IST.

IT stocks, which derive a significant chunk of

revenue from the U.S., dropped 2%, with Tata Consultancy

Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies,

and Infosys falling 1.5% to 2.5%.

Global IT consultancy firm Accenture ( ACN ) on Thursday

flagged

curtailed discretionary spending in the United States due

to elevated macroeconomic uncertainties.

Barring IT, the other 12 major sector were higher at the

open.