New Delhi, 16 January (H.S.): Domestic stock markets opened higher on Friday, with both benchmark indices exhibiting resilience amid initial volatility before buyers solidified control after the first half-hour of trading.

The BSE Sensex commenced trading at 83,670.79, marking a 288.08-point advance, and navigated early fluctuations between buyers and sellers before accelerating upward on sustained purchasing momentum.

By 10:15 AM, following the first hour's session, the index climbed 491.59 points—or 0.59 percent—to 83,874.30.Similarly, the NSE Nifty began at 25,696.05, up 30.45 points, mirroring the Sensex's pattern of early swings before firming decisively on robust buying support.

At 10:15 AM, it stood 138.30 points higher—or 0.54 percent—at 25,803.90, recouping Wednesday's declines when Sensex closed 244.98 points lower at 83,382.71 and Nifty shed 66.70 points to end at 25,665.60.

Among Sensex heavyweights, Infosys led with a 4.77 percent gain, followed by Wipro, Shriram Finance, Tech Mahindra, and Mahindra & Mahindra rising between 1.21 and 4 percent; conversely, Cipla, Eternal, HDFC Life, Sun Pharmaceutical, and ONGC traded 1.43 to 3.23 percent weaker. Of 2,654 active stocks, 1,582 advanced against 1,072 decliners; Sensex's 30 constituents saw 20 in green versus 10 red, while Nifty's 50 showed 28 gainers and 22 laggards.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar