(Updates for markets open)

June 19 (Reuters) - India's equity benchmarks opened

flat on Thursday, as hawkish signals from the U.S. Federal

Reserve and persistent geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East

kept investors at bay.

The Nifty 50 was down 0.04% at 24,803.25 and the BSE

Sensex fell 0.05% to 81,403.94 as of 9:15 a.m. IST.

Nine of the 13 major sectors logged losses at the open. The

broader small-caps and mid-caps were

flat.

Broader Asian markets declined on the day, with the MSCI

Asia ex-Japan index slipping 1.1% after the Fed

left interest rates steady but signalled a slower path for rate

cuts, projecting two reductions by year-end.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that goods inflation could

accelerate over the summer, partly driven by tariffs linked to

U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies.

Geopolitical risks remain front and center.

The Israel-Iran conflict stretched into a seventh day, with

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejecting Trump's

demand for unconditional surrender. In response, Trump said his

patience had run out and warned of unpredictable consequences.