New Delhi, 22 December (H.S.): Indian equity benchmarks opened sharply higher on Monday, the first trading day of the week, fueled by robust buying in metal and IT stocks as the BSE Sensex climbed 447.34 points, or 0.53 percent, to trade at 85,376.70 in early sessions.

The NSE Nifty mirrored the upbeat sentiment, advancing 153.25 points or 0.59 percent to 26,119.65, with banking and pharma shares also registering notable gains. The Indian rupee strengthened by 22 paise against the US dollar, reaching 89.45 in initial trade.

Asian markets echoed the positivity, with South Korea's Kospi soaring 1.86 percent to 4,095, Japan's Nikkei leaping 1.97 percent to 50,480, Hong Kong's Hang Seng edging up 0.28 percent to 25,763, and China's Shanghai Composite rising 0.71 percent to 3,917.

This buoyant start follows Friday's close, where the Sensex settled 447.55 points or 0.53 percent higher at 84,929.36, and the Nifty gained 150.85 points to end at 25,966.40.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar