Indian equity benchmarks are likely to make a negative start on Thursday tracking weakness across global markets. At 8:02 am, Nifty futures trading on Singapore Exchange -- an early indicator of NSE's Nifty50 index in India -- were down 46 points or 0.3 percent at 17,969.5. Analysts awaited the last leg of quarterly earnings for cues. Companies such as Tata Steel Godrej Consumer Products, Zee Entertainment and Brigade Enterprises are scheduled to report their quarterly numbers later in the day.